After a months-long dry spell in Garrett County, Maryland, forecasts for rain landed squarely on the much-anticipated dedication day of Bethel Center. A day that would bring together speakers and presenters from across the state to celebrate the restoration of Garrett County’s only “colored” church.

The original Bethel A.M.E. Church will be re-dedicated and transformed into Bethel Center. The Church first opened its doors to a Black congregation in Oakland, Maryland, on September 23, 1900.

On July 17, The Thompson Rest Home for Deaconesses, or “The Deaconess” as it is fondly called, became the property of the Mountain Lake Park Historical Association and will serve as the nonprofit’s official headquarters.

Before finding its new home, this humble structure was grayed and weathered, with weary bones twisting under the ravages of time. Yet through nearly a year of toil, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church proudly reemerged.

Mountains and Museums is Saturday, May 25, 2024. Garrett County museums, including the Ticket Office Museum in the Historic District of Mountain Lake Park, will be open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday.

With the formation of the Mountain Lake Park Historical Association and with the full support of the Mayor and Town Council, Mountain Lake Park is undergoing a Renaissance of sorts. Several initiatives have contributed to a new wave of enthusiasm around the Park and its amenities.

Jason Martin, the primary contractor and often the sole person on the job site, has skillfully completed the exterior siding while slopping through perpetual mud. Preserving as much wood as possible still required replacing more than fifty percent of the exterior siding.

Bethel Center is getting a roof this week. Replica galvanized steel standing-seam roofing will offer authentic-looking shelter for the historic structure below.

Two representatives from the Maryland Historical Trust made a site visit to examine the progress of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church reconstruction project. (photo courtesy; Albert Feldstein)

After a town meeting and hearing a proposal to renovate a Mountain Lake Park cottage into a new public space, Sherri Grant offered details about how it was her family’s first home.

Mountain Lake Park’s Mayor and Town Council heard a proposal to repurpose the property at 307 G Street and plans to dress up and add public restrooms to the Splash Pad pump house.

In recognition of the A.M.E. Church relocation and restoration project, The Maryland State Society Daughters of the American Revolution handed over a check for $1,000 to Karen Wooddell, president of the Mountain Lake Park Historical Association during a special luncheon at the Town Hall meeting room.

Bethel Center takes a huge leap forward after the four original walls were re-erected in just one day. After months in storage, the structure is now standing proud at its new location perched alongside Maryland Highway.

The A.M.E. Church reconstruction and relocation is progressing with plans for its four walls to be up by the end of August. Weather pending, reconstruction will remain on track and the new home for the church will become a reality.

A ribbon-cutting event hosted by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, MLPHA, and the Mountain Lake Park Mayor and Town Council was well-attended. Local elected officials and Maryland State Delegate Jim Hinebaugh joined in the festive celebration to officially open the renovated Ticket Office Museum.

The Ticket Office Museum receives a six-month-long facelift and officially reopens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Town of Mountain Lake Park and the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.

An article published in The Republican dated 1884, describes the newly formed town of Mountain Lake Park. The author who goes by “Dayne,” describes an enchanting community in a forest filled with blooming foliage of all shapes and sizes.

The foundation for Bethel Center has been dug and a footer poured. This places the project to restore and relocate the only African American Episcopal Church one step closer to fruition.

A special ground-breaking ceremony, sponsored by the Diversity and Engagement Employee Group of First United Bank & Trust, was held in Mountain Lake Park at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, according to Mayor Don Sincell. The public was invited to attend what Sincell describes as “a truly historic event” on the grounds of the legendary Assembly Hall that is currently owned by the Apostolics of Oakland Church and is located along G Street just south of Maryland Highway (Rt. 135).

For Mary Love, the search for the history of this Garrett County town is an effort to recapture pieces o her girlhood – and to experience secondhand a childhood from an earlier era when this was the cultural center of Western Maryland.