News & Events
Christmas in Bethel 2025
We hope you'll plan to join us on Sunday, December 7th, 2025, for the annual Christmas in Bethel celebration. Free admission. . During the communal years, colonists observed many "fete" days such as Easter, Christmas, New Years, harvest feasts, Independence Day and...
Bethel Youth Hunt 2025
The northeast Missouri region is known for its great hunting, and the Bethel Colony has been offering an annual Big Buck hunt for youth for 21 years. This year, the Bethel Colony "Youth Hunt" competition for the 2025 deer season will take place during early youth...
Bethel Fall Market 2025
Join us in historic downtown Bethel for the Fall Market, September 27, 2025. FREE ADMISSION! Held at 127 N Main St., Bethel, MO 63434 Bethel was founded in 1844 as a communal colony by Wilhelm Keil and his German-American followers. The community was early noted for...
Our History
Membership was about 650 in 1855 when Keil, fearing Bethel too subject to outside influence, led a group west and established Aurora Colony in Oregon. Their expedition over the Oregon Trail is unique for it was conducted as a funeral cortege. Keil’s son, Willie, died before he realized his father’s promise to lead the group and was carried instead in the head wagon in a metal box, alcohol-filled. After six months and over 2000 miles, he was buried at Willapa, Washington.
Keil never returned to Bethel, directing affairs there by letter. When the colonies disbanded, 1879-1881, they held property in common valued at $109,806. Bethel supplied $64,328 of this and owned 4267 acres.
