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The old barn on the North Road in Bethel, near the end of the airport runway, was taken down last week. It had been leaning severely for some time. Randy Bennett, director emeritus of the Bethel Historical Society, said the barn probably dates to the last quarter of the 19th century, when it originally stood near the Bethel/Gilead line at the Chapman Homestead. In 1915 it was disassembled and re-erected near its final site by Professor William Rogers Chapman, who used it for a time to house his purebred racing horses, according to Bennett. It was later moved a short distance to this location, which is where the fairgrounds were. “It was utilized by the Riverside Park Association (Bethel fair) until about 1933,” said Bennett. “No doubt this is one of the largest barns that ever existed in Bethel.” The barn is shown here not long before it came down. Alison Aloisio
