Bethlehem

Carol Ann Brown

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780738565163
• eBook ISBN: 9781439622131
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Settled in 1734, Bethlehem is a typical Litchfield hill town and retains much of its rural charm. Around its green are an old post tavern at the Woodward House, two historic churches, and the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Garden. Rev. Joseph Bellamy came to Bethlehem in 1738 and stayed to establish the first theological school in the country, educating Aaron Burr, James Morris, and later John C. Calhoun. In 1938, postmaster Earl Johnson designed a rubber stamp to adorn cards sent from the post office attached to his familys general store. This first cachet became an annual project and established Bethlehem as the Christmas town. In 1946, two Benedictine nuns came to stay with artist Lauren Ford while establishing the Abbey of Regina Laudis in a factory donated by local businessman Robert Leather. Every September for the last 85 years, the Bethlehem Fair has welcomed more than 60, 000 people to apple pies and horse draws at its scenic fairgrounds.

Ten

PEOPLE

Mattie Doolittle is pictured here in 1875 at age 20, the daughter of David E. and Mary Jane (Taylor) Doolittle. The Doolittles lived in the area of Carmel Hill North and Wood Creek Road near Wood Creek Pond, later called Zeigler’s Pond. (OBHS.)

Simeon Gitteau’s tombstone in the old burial ground on Bellamy Lane notes that when he died in 1815, he bequeathed Christ Episcopal Church $333.34. Joshua Gitteau was one of the early settlers to come to Bethlehem. His grandson Charles Julius Gitteau became famous when he assassinated Pres. James A. Garfield in 1881 and was later hanged for his crime. (WRA.)

Judge Charles Wiltshire (1847–1935) and his wife, Sarah J. Wiltshire (1841–1924), stand in front of their home at 27 Judge Lane. Justice of the peace Arnold E. Smith built a new house on the foundation of the Wiltshire home. (OBHS.)

Henry Hubbard was born in Morris in 1840. After the Civil War, he settled in Bethlehem on a 70-acre farm on North Main Street near the Beardsley property, which is now Kasson Grove. Hubbard’s land ran down to Long Meadow Pond, and in his later years when he was blind, he rented out boats and allowed camping on his lake property. (OBHS.)

Charles and Nancy (Lambert) Bloss are pictured after they were married. They were Nathan Bloss’s parents, Walter Bloss and Arthur Bloss’s grandparents, and Betty Bloss’s great-grandparents. (Betty Bloss Barbour.)

Nathan and Dora Bloss are pictured on their wedding day. (Betty Bloss Barbour.)

Here is the Bloss home at 18 East Street, with Arthur Bloss and Dora Hill Bloss (1868–1951) in the front yard. She was an active Grange member for over 60 years and a founder of the Bethlehem Fair, which began as a Grange activity in memorial hall. (Betty Bloss Barbour.)

Betty Bloss was the daughter of Walter F. and Marjorie (Atwood) Bloss. She married her neighbor Ron Barbour and moved to Florida in 1946. (Betty Bloss Barbour.)

Fairview Farm was the name of the Thomson family’s home. It was located at the end of Thomson Road, which used to go through Guilds Hollow over Mill Pond Road, connecting with Arch Bridge Road (then called Addie Griswold Road), across Carmel Hill Road, through Arrowhead Farm, and into Washington, Connecticut. (OBHS.)

Christine Thomson Bloss, shown in this 1909 photograph, always remembered her girlhood in Bethlehem. Her generosity made the new library built in 1968 possible. She also instituted a college scholarship fund that still bears her name. (OBHS.)

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Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - EARLY HOMES
• Two - BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
• Three - RELIGION
• Four - EDUCATION
• Five - AGRICULTURE
• Six - ROADS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS
• Seven - ORGANIZATIONS
• Eight - IMMIGRANTS
• Nine - ARTISTS
• Ten - PEOPLE