Bethel Church (Morning Sun, Iowa)

Bethel Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Bethel Church in 2013.
Location	NE of Morning Sun, off US 61
Coordinates
Area	1.8 acres (0.73 ha)
Built	1855
Built by	Francis McGraw
Architectural style	Vernacular
NRHP Reference #	79003698
Added to NRHP	February 22, 1979

Bethel Church is a historic church building in rural Morning Sun, Iowa, United States. The congregation was organized by the Wapello mission of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Iowa in 1854. In addition to the Morning Sun congregation, the Wapello mission included congregations in Concord, Long Creek, and two in Wapello. The property for the church building and its adjacent cemetery was donated by Merit Jamison. Members of the congregation built the building under the supervision of stonemason Francis McGraw. The limestone structure is a Vernacular form of Iowa folk architecture. The small cornice returns are influenced by the Greek Revival style. The plain interior features plastered walls, plank flooring and wood-carved furnishings from the church's early years. The iron fence that runs along the gravel road was added in 1861. The church is no used for regularly scheduled services. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.