News & Events
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...
Heritage Days
Elementary and home school student groups are invited to join us on Friday, September 26, 2025 for Bethel's annual Heritage Days event to "step back in time" and experience life as it was in a previous century. • • • SCHEDULE: Sept. 26, 2025 | 9:00am to 1:30pm (with a...
Wildlife & Outdoor Expo – August 2025
The 2025 Wildlife & Outdoor Expo (sponsored by Historic Bethel German Colony) will highlight a variety of educational seminars, exhibitors and vendors showcasing such items as hunting products and accessories, equipment, and outdoor related crafts for purchase....
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.
