Residents Invited to Become a Part of Bethel's Living History

The Historical Society is about to embark on a new endeavor that will include the voices of many townspeople.  The Historical Society will create a “Living History” of the building at 84 Greenwood Ave that has been the focus of so much attention since it was demolished just a few weeks ago.

 “When we started talking with Jim Carraluzzi about the cornerstone,” Patricia Rist, president of the Historical Society said, “we knew some of the history of the building, but not all of it.  The building has had three lives; it was part of the Congregational Church, it was a community center, and it was the Masonic Temple.  We don’t know a lot about the middle part.  So much went on there, the bowling alley, the movie theatre, one woman remembers taking Country Dance lessons there.”

 Marc Moorash, owner of Seraphemera, produced the recent newsletter for the Historical Society.  He has become excited about the growing interest in preserving what is left of the building; the memories, stories, photos, and perhaps even home movie footage from years ago.  He hopes to gather them all together and compile them into a book, and perhaps even a documentary.

 “My wife and I were at the demolition site everyday and it became amazingly apparent that there was an endless stream of people who had memories to share.  Everyone had a story.  A woman whose father died at a Mason’s meeting, she came to take a brick. Another woman remembered that she sat on the stairs as a little girl.  The building was the center of this town for a long time,” Moorash said.  “The town is too connected to it’s history to forget about the building, and people who drive by now only see a gaping hole.  They won’t know what that building meant to so many people.”  

 Moorash is hoping people will contact him or the Historical Society to share their memories.  “The stories don’t have to be five pages long.  One person had a photo of her father sitting on the steps of the building, in the 1930s.  The photo was crystal clear.  It doesn’t show anything amazing, but it captured the moment. It’s those moments that remind us, this building was important.”

 Residents who would like to share their memories can contact Marc Moorash, who Rist said would be heading up the project.  He can be reached at three@seraphemera.org or 832-515-9539.  To contact the Historical Society directly, email info@BethelHistoricalSociety.com or call 203-743-5893.