Bethany Beach began as an idea about what a summer by the sea was for. This year the town marked its 125th anniversary.
A retreat, by design
Bethany's founding has its roots in the Disciples of Christ church and its Christian Missionary Society. Looking for a seaside community for summer retreats and educational programs, the church formed a committee to find a site on the Delmarva coast. Bethany Beach was founded in July 1901, at the start of its first summer season.
The town was not formally incorporated until 1909.
The Tabernacle
At the center of the new town was an octagonal auditorium called the Tabernacle, built in 1901. For six decades it was Bethany's meeting place, hosting church gatherings and town events, until it was torn down in 1961 and replaced.
125 years on
The town marked the anniversary through the summer. Founders Day Weekend, over Labor Day weekend from Sept. 4 to 7, celebrated Bethany's 125th birthday alongside the nation's 250th. In September the town and its Cultural Affairs Committee held "A Passport to the Past" at the Dinker-Irvin Museum, guiding visitors through six areas of the town's history.
What lasted
A lot has changed since the Tabernacle. What has lasted is the town's sense of what it is for: a quieter beach, built around families and summers, more than nightlife. The founders were looking for a retreat. A century and a quarter later, that is still the word most people reach for.
Sources: The Town of Bethany Beach's Spring 2026 newsletter (townofbethanybeach.com) and Coastal Point's report on the Founders Day celebrations for the founding, the 125th anniversary and Founders Day Weekend; Delaware Public Media's "Bethany Beach to celebrate 125 years" for the Dinker-Irvin Museum event; Best of Bethany's town history for the Disciples of Christ, the 1909 incorporation and the Tabernacle. The closing characterization of the town is the publication's own. Delaware Beach Finds did not attend the anniversary events.