Historic Sites

Clermont County has a wealth of impressive sites to tempt any history buff, including historic homes, vital connections to the Underground Railroad and wartime artifacts.

  • BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH

    The Bethel Baptist Church was organized in 1798, as an anti-slavery church. Obed Denham, abolitionist and founder of Bethel, donated two lots for the church to build a meeting house and cemetery. Denham placed a deed restriction upon the gift, prohibiting the use by “those who hold slaves or commune at the Lord’s table with those who practice slavery.” The... 

    211 Plane St.
    Bethel, OH 45106
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    (513) 734-4271

  • Bethel Historical Society & Museum

    The Bethel Historical Society and Museum inside the Grant Memorial Building was dedicated to the memory of Ulysses S. Grant in 1930. The Bethel Historical Society is dedicated to promoting and teaching the history of the Bethel community by providing an educational environment for people to understand, respect and learn from previous generations. The Grant Memorial building today displays artifacts... 

    235 W. Plane St.
    Bethel, OH 45106
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    (513) 846-7687
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  • Dr. WILLIAM E. THOMPSON BOYHOOD HOME SITE

    Dr. William Eberle Thompson (1835–1940),a noted Underground Railroad conductor, lived in this home during the time he was active in the Bethel Underground Railroad Network. 

    137 Main St
    Bethel, OH 45106
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  • DR. WILLIAM E. THOMPSON HOME SITE

    This was the residence of Dr. William Eberle Thompson (1835–1940), who became an active member of the Bethel Underground Railroad network as a teenager. Dr. Thompson guided freedom seekers from Bethel to the Elklick area near Williamsburg. He would, on occasion, shoot hounds tracking the freedom seekers. Dr. Thompson practiced medicine in Bethel for eighty years and was active in... 

    213 E. Plane St.
    Bethel, OH 45106
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  • Old Bethel Church and Cemetery

    Sitting just to the left side of Park Rd. No. 1, the Old Bethel Methodist Cemetery was originally established by John Collins in 1805, a Methodist Episcopal preacher who settled in the Northwest Territory in 1802. Though the congregation was disbanded in 1968 when the United States Army Corps of Engineers purchased the church and surrounding land to make East... 

    3294 Elklick Rd.
    Bethel, OH 45106
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  • OLD SETTLERS CEMETERY

    This was the first cemetery in Bethel. The community was settled by abolitionists, many of whom are buried here. Obed Denham (1747–1817), the founder of Bethel, donated the land for the burial ground to the Bethel Baptist Church. These lots were given with the stipulation that the church not have communion with slaveholders. Denham’s burial site is located within the... 

    North Main St.
    Bethel, OH 45106
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  • SUGAR TREE WESLEYAN CHURCH AND CEMETERY

    The Sugar Tree Wesleyan Church, founded by anti-slavery Methodists in 1845, was one of the first Wesleyan churches organized in Ohio. The first pastor of the church was Rev. Silas Chase, MD, a prominent member of the Bethel Underground Railroad Network. A 35 by 45-foot chapel was built in 1848 at this site, on land donated by Isaac Holmes Brown.... 

    Crane School House Rd.
    Bethel, OH 45106
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  • TATE TOWNSHIP CEMETERY

    This cemetery contains the burial sites of Bethel’s four most active members of the Underground Railroad. The individuals: Benjamin Rice, Richard Mace, Dr. William E. Thompson and Rev. Silas Chase, MD, were all members of the Sugar Tree Wesleyan Church. Benjamin Rice (1814–1893), a Tate Township carpenter, often conducted freedom seekers from Felicity to Bethel. Rice, frequently assisted by Richard... 

    East St.
    Bethel, OH 45106
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  • U.S. SENATOR THOMAS MORRIS BURIAL SITE

    U.S. Senator Thomas Morris (1776–1844) is also buried in the Old Settlers Cemetery. He was the only U.S. Senator to speak out against slavery from 1836–1839. Morris, an attorney, represented defendants in a number of slavery related cases. He ran for vice-president on the Liberty Party ticket in 1844. Open to the public. 

    North Main St
    Bethel, OH 45106
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