The Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church was established as the old Lebanon ARP Church near Hamburg in the early 1820s. In 1856, a yellow fever epidemic struck the Hamburg community where most members of Lebanon lived. They moved to Oak Hill to get away from the lowlands. Because of the distance from Oak Hill to Lebanon, the Lebanon Church was disbanded and Bethel Church was formed. The Bethel Church congregation constructed and dedicated their first church building in 1857.
In 1895, the present church building was erected adjacent to the old building. The new sanctuary was dedicated on November 9, 1895. The cornerstone of the old church can be seen in the parking lot of the present church. This beautiful Victorian-style church has become one of the landmarks of Wilcox County, AL.
This church is a contributing property to the Oak Hill Historic District that’s on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is located beside Hwy 21 at Oak Hill approximately 0.4 mile north of the intersection of Hwy 21 and Hwy 10 (31°55’33.0″N 87°04’49.5″W – Google Maps)
Sources: 1: NRHP “Oak Hill Historic District” Registration Form; 2) oakhillal.com