If you grew up on Main Street in Bethel, or your family comes from this small Shelby County town, this map shows the streets you know. It's a modern aerial view of Bethel in Shelby County, Missouri, drawn from modern data and given a warm vintage look. Main Street runs up the middle of the sheet, with a small grid of streets on both sides. Open fields, lone trees and a winding, wooded valley fill the land around town.
Main Street and the streets of Bethel
On this map you'll find Main Street, First Street, Second Street, Third Street, Fourth Street, King Street, Bower Street, Liberty Street, Maple Street, Elm Street, Walnut Street, and more. Each red shape is a building, so zoom in on the preview and look for yours.
The German colony that laid out Bethel
The General History of Shelby County, printed in 1911, tells how Bethel began. A few Germans had already settled here and there across the county. Then a colony of German settlers planned a town of their own. They laid out and established the town of Bethel. The book calls them progressive people. They also claimed a good deal of government land nearby. Today Bethel still sits on its small grid of streets around Main Street.
Peter Stice's mill on the North River
The spot on the North River has another story too. In 1835, Peter Stice asked the court for leave to build a water mill on the North River. An 1884 county history says the site was exactly where Bethel stands today. Stice built the mill in 1836, but it wasn't a success. A road was opened to Peter Stice's place in Bethel, giving settlers on the county's eastern borders "a nearer cut" to mill. On the map, look for the wooded valley that winds across the lower half of the sheet.
Bring Main Street in Bethel home
Created by KNOWOL in 2026, this print shows Bethel from above in soft greens, with red buildings, pale roads and gently shaded hills. The title panel reads "Aerial View of Bethel, Missouri" with the coordinates 39°53' North 92°01' West.
It fits well in a living room, a hallway or a home office. It's a kind gift for someone who grew up near Main Street in Bethel, or for anyone whose family came from Shelby County. Open the preview and look for the street you know. See sizes and frames for the Bethel map.
