THE BETHEL HOUSE

For most of its existence Perrine’s little Bethel House sat facing the Florida East Coast Railroad along Homestead Court.  The little cottage rattled as many a train passed by heading northwards with South Dade County fruits and vegetables.  But the cottage stood strong as it was built of hardy Dade County Slash Pine by Bahamian pioneers.  Ms. Jessie Bethel came to South Florida in the early 1900s from Little Harbor, Andros Island.  She joined many other Bahamians of Black descent that arrived in Perrine in 1912 in search of jobs.  They found work in the fields, sawmills and packinghouses of South Florida.  Some housing for the newly arrived immigrants was provided by the owners of the farms and sawmills but the Bahamians came to this country with a strong desire to own their own homes.  Although Ms. Jessie had three small children to provide for and no husband to help with their support, she had saved enough money by 1937 to purchase a lot and build a house.  Ms. Jessie was a close friend with Florence and Alfred Clark, also of Bahamian origin.  Mr. Clark, a carpenter by trade, built the small house using the same techniques and modest proportions of similar island cottages native to the Bahamas.  The house was so sturdy that it survived through several hurricanes, even Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which utterly devastated the community of Perrine.  Ms. Jessie died in the early 1950s and the house passed on to her son Jonathan (a.k.a. “Water Boy”).  In 1995, land in and around the Bethel House was purchased by Miami-Dade County’s Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED).  The Bethel House was slated for demolition to make way for a primary health care facility.  At that time, Ms. Helen Gage, a local resident of Bahamian-American heritage, contacted many County  agencies  in  order  to  help  save  the  house  from  destruction.  Miami-Dade  County’s  Historic Preservation Board designated the Bethel House a historic site in 1996, a status which enabled the future relocation and preservation of the structure.  With assistance from Miami Habitat for Humanity (which donated the lot the house presently occupies) and support by Miami-Dade’s OCED, the cottage was moved in December of 1998 two short blocks to the west of where it once stood.  Architect Thorn Grafton lead the restoration program and created a future vision that includes the use of both interior and outdoor areas for educational demonstrations.  With funding and support provided by the County’s Task Force on Urban Revitalization, Miami Dade County Board of County Commissioners, and other kind contributors, the project took shape with rehabilitation work completed by 2006.

Saving a piece of history is never a simple task, especially in areas that have seen their share of social and economic difficulties.  Fortunately, the little Bethel House’ story … nearly lost to anonymity as in the case of so many others … can now be told and retold.