Hegarty’s Crossroads, in Beccaria Township, lies along Route 729 between Janesville and Glen Hope.
It has been one of the oldest settled areas in Clearfield County since Samuel Hegarty and his wife, Jane Whiteside arrived to begin farming in the vicinity in 1811. They later did very well in the logging and lumbering industry.
The location is best known for the impressive Victorian mansion built by another Samuel Hegarty in1873. It stands proudly to this day, although not owned by the Hegarty family.
There was once an original log structure Presbyterian Church built near the entrance of the adjacent Crossroads Cemetery. It is long gone.
The Bethel Methodist Church was erected a few hundred yards from the mansion and cemetery in 1899. It was established to serve the nearby faithful whose large farming families likely filled the small building to capacity each Sunday.
The exterior of Bethel Church is a plain building with a slanted roof and steeple. The entrance is beneath the belfry. The window design is one of plain clear glass that allows a good deal of natural light to enter into the sanctuary of the church. It looks like a typical county church of its time.
To step inside of the church is to be taken aback with its woodwork and beauty. Locally milled wainscoting walls and ceilings, as well as the floorboards and pews show the expert craftsmanship and the simple elegance of natural wood.
The photos show the pulpit and a nice-looking old pump organ. Some years ago, generous donors had the windows replaced and had the outside walls sided. The inside, though, is like stepping back in time.
The Bethel Methodist Church is opened and used once yearly, during Labor Day weekend, for an annual Homecoming Service, conducted by Pastor Thomas McCoy, a retired UM minister.