The town is home to Gould Academy, a private preparatory school, and is near the Sunday River ski resort.

An Abenaki Indian village was once located on the north side of the Androscoggin River, but had been abandoned before its subsequent English settlement.

Two inhabitants, Benjamin Clark and Nathaniel Segar, were abducted and held captive in Quebec until the war's conclusion, after which the community grew rapidly.

In winter, farmers found work logging, with the lumber cut at sawmills operated by water power from streams.

Other manufacturers produced flour, leather and harnesses, furniture, boots and shoes, carriages, and marble and granite work.

On March 10, 1851, the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad opened to Bethel, carrying freight and summer tourists eager to escape the noise, heat and pollution of cities.

[citation needed] But with the advent of the automobile, tourists were no longer restricted by the limits of train service, but were free to explore.

Although transportation patterns and preferences in vacation accommodations have changed, Bethel remains a tourist destination for its natural setting, history and recreation resources.

[citation needed] Led by psychologist Kurt Lewin and, eventually, colleagues like Ken Benne and Ron Lippitt, research was conducted that helped lay the foundation for organizational development's theory and practice.

T-groups and sensitivity training were refined to apply behavioral science to individual self-awareness and group functioning, in the service of organizational efficiency and productivity.

The National Training Laboratories (NTL) was organized by Lewin to lead this work, with much or it conducted during summer seasons at Gould Academy.

Increasingly, NTL became an important part of Bethel's economy, especially as the traditional wood product mill industries went into decline.

Although NTL moved its headquarters to Alexandria, Virginia in 2008, it continues to maintain a small summer legacy presence in Bethel.

[7] Bethel is located on the western edge of the Oxford Hills and on the southern rim of the rugged Mahoosuc Range.