City Spotlight on Bethlehem: Grown from Cotton and Commerce ... and Still Growing

A little something from the Barrow County history books.

Did you know that the town of Bethlehem actually got its start as a small village in Walton County in the early 1800s? It developed from homesteads owned by members of the congregation at Bethlehem Methodist Church, established in late 1700s. When the Gainesville Midland Railroad ran between Gainesville and Social Circle in 1884, some forward-thinking brothers by the name of Beddingfield built the first store in the emerging town. This first store still stands today and once served as the post office. Other commercial enterprises around that same time were a blacksmith shop, a large general store, two banks, a drug store, a cotton gin and a warehouse. That very same year, the town officially adopted its name from the Bethlehem Methodist …

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