Bethel Memorial Chapel and Cemetery
Bethel Memorial Chapel and Cemetery is a Canadian nonprofit organization overseeing a historic Methodist chapel and burial ground in Burlington, Ontario. Established in 1853, the chapel was constructed on land donated by early settler John Prudham for three pounds and fifteen shillings, serving as a place of worship for the Canadian Wesleyan Methodist New Connexion Church[2][3]. The simple frame structure, built by local congregants, featured timber provided by William Bousfield and shingles processed at his Tally Ho mill[2].

After the 1874 merger of Methodist denominations into the Methodist Church of Canada, Bethel Chapel ceased regular services as congregants shifted to Lowville and Carlisle circuit churches[2]. The site remained inactive for six decades until the 1930s, when descendants of local pioneers, including John Prudham’s grandson Charles A. Prudham, initiated preservation efforts. A board of trustees—comprising Charles Prudham, Elmer Foster, A.J. Harris, George Coverdale, and William Vollick—was formed to manage the chapel and cemetery[2].

The cemetery, now part of the nonprofit’s stewardship, contains graves of early settlers from Nelson Township (now within Burlington). Though the chapel no longer hosts regular worship, it stands as a rare surviving example of pre-Confederation Methodist architecture in Ontario[3][4]. The organization maintains the property as a heritage site, emphasizing its historical and community significance.

Note: A separate Bethel Pioneer Memorial Cemetery exists in Scarborough, Ontario, managed by the Scarborough Historical Society[5]. This entity is unrelated to the Burlington-based Bethel Memorial Chapel and Cemetery.