Bethel Church

15 miles west of Port Gibson on SH-552. One of the few remaining landmarks associated with the battle of Port Gibson. Late afternoon of April 30, 1863 the vanguard of the Union army passed by Bethel Church in route to Port Gibson. While marching by, some of the trigger-happy soldiers shot at the steeple.

Site Marker: Bethel Church C. 1845. Greek Revival. The original congregation of the Bethel Presbyterian Church organized in 1826 under the direction of Dr. Jeremiah Chamberlain, constructed this building in the mid 1840s. On the interior, ornamentation is completely lacking. The use of pilasters on the exterior is an interesting feature as are the simplified hood molds, normally found only on Gothic Revival buildings. Renovations have occurred over the years and the original slave gallery has been removed. A tornado (1943) destroyed the sharply pointed steeple.