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Bethel

Ghost town · Clay County, Illinois

Xenia quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1952, 1:62,500)
Xenia quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1952, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Bethel is a ghost town in Clay County, Illinois, recorded as former settlement in Illinois, United States. It is the only former community in Clay County recorded on the federal names register, out of 208 across Illinois.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Bethel as a historical populated place on the Xenia topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 38.7042° N, 88.6881° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleXenia
Elevation515 ft
Nearest living townXenia, IL
Distance to it5.4 miles
GNIS feature ID1747712
Coordinates38.70421, -88.68811

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What's there now

Bethel is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Xenia, IL (population 340), about 5.4 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 515 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.