The first building on the present site of Bethel was the dwelling house of Peter Stice, who came to the locality in the fall of 1835, having been previously entered the land on both sides of North River (east half of Section 33-59-10). In November Stice threw a dam across the river and erected a small watermill, a "corn cracker," which was afterward resorted to by the settlers for miles around.
Keil and his associates having made all due preparations in the fall of 1845, about 500 colonists came in from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa. At that time the buildings on the town site were the old corn-cracker water-mill, built by Peter Stice some 10 years before, Vandiver's old brick house, and two cabins down on the river close by the mill. For some time, there was lack of proper accommodations for the women and children, but all went to work at once to supply the deficiency and soon numerous clay-walled houses ... arose and life was fairly begun in the new colony.
The site of Hager's Grove was purchased by John Hager of William P. Norton, of Ralls County. A blacksmith shop was run for some time, and the locality was known as Hager's Grove. In the spring of 1857 William P. Casey, Dr. Pile and Joseph and William Walker, from Iowa, bought a steam mill and put it in operation at Hager's Grove. A man named Spaulding ran a blacksmith shop here at the same time. Sometime afterward Thomas J. Blackburn established a small grocery store, whose stock of trade reportedly, consisted of a barrel of whiskey, some crackers and cheese and some staples. The store was in a log house.
Unfortunately the low cost of actual hardware, exponentially expanding part portfolio, and the lack of paying customers (pirates and crackers), and the generally high costs of doing this well, have driven most away from this market space.
dd2b598166