| Organization of the Bethel Presbyterian Church, fourteen miles southwest of Port Gibson, marked an important step in the expansion of Presbyterianism into the Old Southwest during the first half of the nineteenth century. Bethel Church also brought concomitant educational and sociological benefits to its immediate area. The architectural significance of the structure lies in its application of classical detail to a form small in scale yet striking in the context of its rural surroundings. The congregation is no longer active. This building was listed on the National Register on 18 November 1978. It is included in "Shrines to Tomorrow" (1971), "Historic Architecture in Mississippi" (1973) (p. 61), and "Architecture in Claiborne County, Mississippi" (1974) (p. 45). |