Bethel railroad station

The arrival of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad in Bethel took place on March 10, 1851. First proposed in 1844 by Andover native John Alfred Poor as a way of boosting Portland's dwindling mercantile trade and providing a winter link to the sea for Montreal to the north, the railroad nonetheless brought great economic benefits to the dozens of small New England towns scattered along the line. Built in 1865, Bethel's railroad station (left center) stood near the junction of Main and Railroad streets until 1968. The Bethel Chair Company mill, established in 1886, appears at far right.

Courtesy of Arlan Jodrey