Church was organized. However, Silverton outgrew Bethany. Bethany School serves to keep the name alive. For a history of the locality and of a proposed college, see Salem Statesman, October 30, 1931. See also Down's History of the Silverton Country. Efforts made by members of the Christian Church to establish a college or institution at Bethany failed for lack of funds. The churches continued their interest in the project and it is possible that the development of Bethel Institute at Bethel in Polk County was a result of the earlier effort. Bethany is a Hebrew word meaning "House of Poverty" and the name was applied to a place in Palestine not far from Jerusalem. The word has been used as a placename in many parts of the United States, frequently as part of some church activity.
BETHANY, Washington County. The name Bethany is applied to a crossroads trading center about four miles northwest of Cedar Mill, but in earlier days Bethany was at the crossroads about two miles northeast of the present community of that name. Ulrich Gerber came to Oregon from Switzerland in the middle '70s and settled on North Plains in the south part of section 17, township 1 north, range 1 west. He was instrumental in getting Bethany post office established in July, 1878, at a point about a mile east of the present Bethany School. He suggested the name and was the first postmaster. The office was later moved to the crossroads on the west line of section 19. Bethany post office was discontinued in 1904 but the name for the community is still in use. A Presbyterian church stands at the northwest corner of the original Bethany crossroads of Ulrich Gerber. The Bethany Baptist Church is about a mile south of these crossroads.
BETHEL, Polk County. All that remains of this community is a school, situated at the base of the Eola Hills about a mile east of McCoy. Bethel is in a little vale called Plum Valley, and the locality was named in 1846 by the Rev. Glen O. Burnett for Bethel Church in Missouri where he had served as pastor. John E. Smith's booklet Bethel, published by the author in 1941, gives an account of this and subsequent events. Dr. Nathaniel Hudson settled nearby in 1851 and in 1852 opened Bethel Academy, a private undertaking. Bethel Academy was short lived. In 1854 Dr. Hudson moved to a new claim west of Dallas. In 1855 G. O. Burnett and Amos Harvey organized a new school called Bethel Institute. A building was erected and the institute opened in October of that year. In January, 1856, the legislature officially chartered the school with the name Bethel Institute and it operated with that name until October, 1860, when the legislature granted a new charter with the name Bethel College. The college failed financially in 1861, and efforts to turn it over to the Christian Church were unsuccessful. See under MONMOUTH. Bethel Institute and Bethel College seem to have been community affairs and while the Christian Church gave moral support, it does not appear that the church actually furnished funds. Bethel is a Hebrew word meaning "House of God." The name was applied to a holy city of Palestine originally known as Luz.
BETHEL SCHOOL, Marion County. Bethel School is on the south side of the Penitentiary road about six miles east of the business section of Salem. In early days Dan Early operated a sawmill in this locality, cutting some of the fine timber that grew there. Soon after the mill was torn down a group of Dunkards settled in the place and built a church on the ma, a due ma island ba .ch maal
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