Engraving of Bethel mountain scenery

The town of Bethel is surrounded by some of northern New England's most dramatic mountain scenery, as evidenced by this engraving from the Guide Book of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, published in 1853. Such artistic renderings greatly appealed to nineteenth century urban dwellers anxious to escape the oppressive heat and offensive smells of East Coast cities before the invention of air-conditioning.

Circa 1853