What to See in Bethel - Top Sights and Attractions

Covered bridge in Newry, Maine. The Sunday River Bridge, also known locally as the Artists Bridge, is a historic covered bridge in Newry, Maine. It is located northeast of the Sunday River Ski Resort, adjacent to the crossing of the Sunday River by Sunday River Road, which the bridge formerly carried. Built in 1872, it is one of Maine's few surviving 19th-century covered bridges. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.^[1]

Mountain. Goose Eye Mountain, also known as Mt. Goose High, is a mountain located in Oxford County, Maine, about 1 mi. east of the New Hampshire-Maine border. The mountain is the second-highest peak of the Mahoosuc Range of the White Mountains.^[2]

Museum in Bethel. The Dr. Moses Mason House is a historic house museum at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Mason Street in Bethel, Maine. Built c. 1813–15, it is notable as the home of one of Bethel's early doctors and first postmaster, Moses Mason, and for the murals drawn on some of its walls by the itinerant artist Rufus Porter. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972; it is now owned by the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, and is open year-round for tours.^[3]

Specialty museum, Museum

The Middle Intervale Meeting House and Common is a historic church at 757 Intervale Road in Bethel, Maine. Built in 1816, this simple wood-frame structure served as a meeting house for both religious and civic purposes, and has been little-altered since 1857, when it was given its present Greek Revival features. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.^[4]

The Lower Meeting House and East Bethel Cemetery are a historic religious property at 1797 Intervale Road in Bethel, Maine. The meeting house, built in 1831 and only modestly modified since, is a good local example of a typical rural church of the period in Maine; the cemetery has been in use for a longer period, with its oldest dated burial occurring in 1817. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.^[5]

The Samuel D. Philbrook House is a historic house at 162 Main Street in Bethel, Maine. Built in 1878-79 by a local businessman, it is probably the most elaborate Italianate residence in the community, and one of the finest of the type in Oxford County. It now houses a retail space in the first floor and attached barn, with living space above. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.^[6]

The Cole Block is a historic commercial building at 19 Main Street in Bethel, Maine. Built in 1891, the four story frame structure is the most prominent commercial building in the town. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.^[7]

The John M. Philbrook House, now the Grand Victorian Inn, is a historic house at 32 Main Street in Bethel, Maine. Built in 1895, it is the town's most sophisticated example of Queen Anne architecture. John Philbrook, for whom it was built, was a lumber and cattle merchant. The house was used in the 1970s as faculty housing for nearby Gould Academy, and is now an inn. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.^[8]

The Hall House is a historic house at 10 Kilborn Street in Bethel, Maine. Built in 1910 by Dana and Alfaretta Hall, this house is a rare and distinctive local example of Craftsman style, especially in consideration of its setting in a small Maine town. Although it is predominantly Craftsman in style, it structurally harkens to the traditional connected farmsteads of rural New England. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.^[9]

The Gehring Clinic is a historic house and medical facility at the south end of Broad Street Historic District in Bethel, Maine. Built in 1896 for Doctor John George Gehring, it is a fine local example of Queen Anne architecture. It is recognized, however, for its association with Gehring, a nationally known psychotherapist who was an early proponent of the use of hypnosis to treat nervous disorders. Gehring opened his large home as a rest home for those who traveled to Bethel to receive his treatment. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.^[10]