Bethel, Maine
“This was our first excursion to Sunday River - I loved it - loved Bethel - I loved the gourmet store in town - people who own that were terrific - and on Saturday we went on a horse drawn wagon ride which was so much fun and we all sang "Jingle Bells" going down Main Street."
Valerie and Thomas, West Hartford, CT
Thanksgiving 2007
Bethel, Maine
Just a 5 minute drive down the
road from 10 Peaks Lodge is the charming village
hamlet
of Bethel, Maine.Bethel is a town where the common is uncommon. Astride the Androscoggin River, nestled at the base of Paradise Hill, Bethel is truly “just this side of Paradise.”
Most rural villages are one-industry towns. Bethel is a rare blend
of farming, forestry, woods product manufacturing, education, and
tourism. In the past decade, the community has become home to active
retirees, eschewing the world of Sun City and professionals who have
chosen the small town lifestyle over that of the megalopolis. Settled in 1774 by land grantees from Massachusetts who had fought in the campaign to conquer Canada in 1690, Bethel’s original name was Sudbury Canada.
Farming was the mainstay of the region until 1851
when the country’s first international railroad connecting Portland,
Maine to Montreal was built. The trains brought summer visitors from
the cities to breathe the fresh air and partake of homegrown food.
The railroad carried lumber and milled wood products back to the
urban markets. The town is a significant educational center thanks to the generosity of William Bingham II (a modern day patron saint) who endowed Gould Academy and whose foundation continues to provide funding for educational and social purposes in the community.
In the early
decades of the 20th century, Bethel was home to Dr. Gehring’s famous
clinic for the treatment of nervous disorders. 
In
1959 a group of local businessmen formed the Bethel Development
Corporation. To develop four-season recreation, their first project,
funded by local shareholders, was Sunday River Skiway. Over forty
years later, Bethel is busier as a tourist destination in the
winter, thanks to the success of Sunday River Ski Area, than the
summer. The townspeople continue to embrace innovation while maintaining their small town culture. Bethel was one of the first communities in Maine connected to the Internet. They built the World’s Tallest Snowman and continue to host the National Wife Carrying Championships every Columbus Day Weekend.