Welcome to the South Bethany Historical Society
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The South Bethany Historical Society (SBHS), Delaware, is an independent, volunteer organization established in 2010 to collect, preserve and promote the history of South Bethany, known to us as the “The Best Little Beach in Delaware”. The Historical Society is led by an Executive Committee consisting of 4 elected officers and as needed chairpersons of standing committees who serve at the discretion of the President. Although the SBHS is an independent organization, it works closely and shares information with the South Bethany Property Owner’s Association (SBPOA) and the Town of South Bethany (Town). Both organizations provide considerable support to the SBHS, including promoting community awareness of the Historical Society. The Town frequently includes the Historical Society in their updates to Town property owners and residents, as well as allows us to hold our quarterly meetings and display materials at Town Hall. The support and encouragement from the SBPOA and Town were very helpful in establishing and supporting the SBHS.
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- Collect, preserve and protect historical information,
- Promote interest in our community,
- Conduct interviews with long time/early property owners to record their memories of the "early days",
- Conduct information exchanges, seminars and meetings,
- Research and record the history of our community, and
- Make available historical information to interested parties.
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Society's Current Officers:The 2024 officers are: President
Present | Cathy Peck
703-628-8322
southbethanyhs@yahoo.com |
Vice President
Present | Carolyn Bell |
Secretary
2018 - present | Carolyn Marcello |
Treasurer
Present | Kimberly Grimes
|
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Membership - Join Today
A 2024 Household SBHS Membership fee is waived for 2024. To become a member please click HERE for an Application. Print, complete and mail the Membership Application Form to the mailing address listed on the application.
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EVENTS - 2024December 3, 2024 - Member Appreciation Reception - Town Hall - 9:30am - 11:00am Flyer Attached and Photos Attached
August 31st, Saturday, 9am, Unveiling Ceremony of Two Storyboards focused on Paradise Shores and York Beach history. See attached flyer and attached photosThe South Bethany Historical Society cordially invites South Bethany Residents and Guests to join us on Saturday, August 31 at 9:00am. We will celebrate the unveiling of two Storyboards focused on Paradise Shores and York Beach history. The new home of the Storyboards will be on the corner of York Road and Coastal Highway.
August 14th, Wednesday, 10am Special Tour of Coastal Towns Museum in Ocean View, DEThe President of the Ocean View Historical Society will be guiding the tour. The museum focuses on the history of this area, including South Bethany. It has a great display of local Delaware history. The Museum address is 40 West Avenue, next to the John West Park.
For those members interested in breakfast before the tour, several members will meet at Honey's at Station 26 (27 Atlantic Avenue) at 8:30am
May 22rd, Thursday, 6pm at Richard Hall Memorial Park. Photos of the eventLifeguarding history n South Bethany. This is a community event. Special guest speakers will attend. Attendees are asked to bring a chair. Refreshments will be served. Click
HERE for more information.
The Historical Society is planning a members trip to the Delaware Defense Day at Fort Miles Museum. The event aims to highlight and celebrate those who defended Delaware in the past, such as the soldiers of Fort Miles, and those who continue to serve and defend the state today. This is a fun, family event with food and music. Click
HERE for more information. Also, you can find information on the the
Fort Miles Museum website. .
Welcome back! See some of the SBHS photo and map collection. Bring some of yours to share!
Please check back for more events / programs planned
Society Archived Events
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Gifting to our Collection:
Guidelines and Processing under Board review at their March, 2024 meeting
Below you will find links to our 1) Gifting Guidelines, 2) Donor Check in Process and 3) Deed of Gift. A properly completed Deed of Gift is needed in order for the Historical Society to properly keep any items donated. Here are the links from which you can print copies: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the News
April 19, 2024 - Coastal Point - SBHS Commemorates Hall Property
April 9, 2024 - Coastal Point - SBHS to Mark Delaware Defense Day at Fort Miles
October 13, 2022 - Coastal Point - SBH Group Learns About CatHill Dead
June 30, 2022 - Coastal Point - South Bethany Cemertary Set to Reveal Secrets
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In June 2014 the South Bethany Historical Society publish this history book:"Best Little Beach In Delaware" The SBHS published "The Best Little Beach In Delaware" history book about the Town of South Bethany in June 2014. The origins of the book began in 2012 when the Society decided to interview early property owners and past mayors to capture their memories before they were lost As the project went on the Society adjusted its sights and it decided to produce an entire book using various collections the Society already had, the collections available at Town Hall and solicited information from a variety of individuals.
John Speer, Jr. took on the task of coordinating the project, and he organized a team of about 15 Society members. The end result of hundreds of hours of work is a full color 160 page book that contains over 300 photos, news clippings, advertisements, post cards, letters, sales brochures, and more. The book has been nominated for the prestigious 2014 "Gold Ink Award", the winners are to be announced in August 2014.
If you look closely you may find yourself, family member, friend and/or house in one of the many photos. In addition to personal interest stories of individuals and families, you can find information on key dates, development, founding of the Town, building of the canals, annexations, notable storms, critters found dead and alive on the beach, founding of the Property Owners Association, the Women's Club, Neighborhood Watch Program, origin of the Beach Patrol and much more.
You can purchase the book for $20 check or cash by contacting Carolyn Marcello at 302-539-8775.
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Mailing Address:South Bethany Historical Society
c/o Cathy Peck - President
415 Kimberly Road
South Bethany, DE 19930
Email Address:southbethanyhs@yahoo.com
If you wish to add, change or correct information on this webpage contact: Carolyn Bell 571-218-6221
A special thanks to SBPOA for sharing their website pages.
This page was last modified on Tuesday, December 03, 2024 
