{"nrhp_refnum":"78002072","name":"Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"W of Pleasant City on OH 146","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pleasant City","county":"Guernsey County","state":"OH","lat":39.90104982300005,"lon":-81.58357197199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rectangular Romanesque Revival brick church on the north side of State Route 146, about two miles west of Pleasant City in Valley Township, Guernsey County, Ohio. It was built in the 1870s, with the form giving 1873 as the specific date.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant mainly for its architecture, which sets it apart from most rural churches in the area. Its leaded stained glass windows are described as among the finest in the area's rural churches. It is well preserved and still serves the community as a community center.","narrative":"Bethel Church is a brick Romanesque Revival building on State Route 146, about two miles west of Pleasant City in Guernsey County, Ohio. Built in the 1870s at a cost of $5,000, it replaced a small frame church of 1836 that had been built for a congregation meeting since 1833. A square center tower holds the round-arched entrance, a stained glass window, a date stone and an open steeple with a working bell. Brick buttresses divide each side into four bays, each with a tall round-arched window of ornate leaded stained glass. The interior, little changed since a 1898 remodeling, has dark woodwork, carved pews and a stenciled ceiling pattern. The Ohio Methodist Conference closed the church in 1960, and three local parishioners then bought it and formed Bethel Community Church, Inc. It now serves as a community center. Its architecture and stained glass distinguish it among rural churches of the area.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Well preserved and in adaptive use as a community center; the Methodist Conference closed the church in 1960 and it was bought by a community church corporation.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.095943-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/78002072.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002072/3ff90c1e49-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002072/3ff90c1e49-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bwsmith84 (talk)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bethel_Methodist_Episcopal_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bwsmith84 (talk)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bethel_Methodist_Episcopal_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988784","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethel_Methodist_Episcopal_Church_(Pleasant_City,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4897917"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/guernsey-county/bethel-methodist-episcopal-church-78002072/"}