The little town of Bethlehem may be a ways from its biblical namesake, but for more than two centuries, travelers, artists and fresh-air seekers have found miracles of their own in this White Mountains getaway.
Today, lots of folks know Bethlehem as the place they send their bundled Christmas cards each year to receive the town’s priceless postmark. But with a Main Street that all but kisses Mount Washington and a claim to some of the region’s highest altitudes and cleanest air, Bethlehem’s appeal has long registered beyond the corner of an envelope.
Indeed, Bethlehem a century ago enjoyed life as one of New England’s top resort destinations, boasting 30 grand hotels, dozens of “grand cottages,” and a train depot that greeted tens of thousands each summer, from Presidents to poets. An annual stagecoach parade down Main Street showcased such ornate carriages that visitor Phineas T. Barnum proclaimed it “the Second Greatest Show on Earth.” While the clip-clop of those Gilded Age coaches has given way to passenger cars, Bethlehem remains a town blessed by geography and friendly neighbors, having in recent years recast itself as an emerging arts and antiques community.
A visit to Bethlehem isn’t complete without hitting the newly renovated Colonial Theatre, reputedly the nation’s longest continually running cinema, dazzling moviegoers since 1914. Next door, Antiques Roadshow meets the Twilight Zone at Mt. Agassiz Trading Company – owner Roland Shick’s mind-bending menagerie of the strange and sublime, from Tiffany lamps to crocodile skulls. Everywhere along Main Street, it seems, art is in bloom, from Ron Smith’s one-of-a-kind whirligigs and birdhouses to the works of local women at the WREN and Ragamuffins Design.
Up the road, be sure to clear the roof of your car and pack plenty of twine and holiday spirit when you visit the century-old Rocks Estate, International Harvester founder John Glessner’s historic 1,400-acre wooded property, now overseen by the Society for the Protection of NH Forests and one of the state’s most breathtaking Christmas tree farms.
Town Facts
by Michael DeBlasi
Bethlehem, NH
• First established in 1774 as Lloyd’s Hills; voters elected to change the town name and selected Bethlehem on Christmas Day, 1799.
• In terms of land, Bethlehem is the 2nd largest municipality in NH.
• The National Hay Fever Relief Association was founded in Bethlehem, which offered attractively low pollen counts to tourists from throughout the Northeast.
• Legendary golf course architect Donald Ross designed both Bethlehem and Maplewood Country Clubs, just 1.5 miles apart in town.
• U.S. Presidents Grant, Hayes, Roosevelt, Taft and Harding each spent time in Bethlehem during their terms in office.
• Bethlehem’s post office handles more than 50,000
Christmas cards each
year.
