When German migrants settled in the Kapunda district the first village established by Pastor C.S.D. Schondorf, 8 km west of Kapunda, was named 'Bethel', a German word meaning 'place of God'.
The post office, opened in 1896 by Rev. Paul G. Buck, stood on section 260, Hundred of Light, while the school was opened in 1870 with Annie Roe in charge; it closed circa 1959. The remnant settlement consists of the Lutheran Church, a 1908 house built for the incumbent pastor and a few farm houses.
Bethel Lutheran Church
The first Bethel Lutheran Church was constructed in 1857 by small family groups of Moravian Brethren who migrated from Saxony under the pastoral care of Paster Schondorf.
The current church was constructed in 1895 and a new pastor's residence was constructed in 1908. A monument near the church notes the location of the original settlement.
Within the cemetery all graves face east in single rows and there is a section at the eastern end for children and still born babies.
References
- Heritage Survey of the Light Regional Council
- Manning Index of Place Names of South Australia