Part of North 3rd Street in Stroudsburg is being co-named Little Bethel Way. Here's why

Max Augugliaro, Pocono Record
·2 min read

A section of North 3rd Street in Stroudsburg has been given a historical co-name.

During the Stroudsburg Borough Council meeting on Tuesday, April 2, council unanimously approved a motion to co-name a section of North 3rd Street, from McConnell Street to North 2nd Street, as Little Bethel Way.

The co-name is inspired by the Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, otherwise called Little Bethel AME Church, which is within the section of the street being co-named.

A member of the Stroudsburg Little Bethel Historical Association (SLBHA), Wieslaw Niemoczynski, told council that Little Bethel Way was the first-choice name, and that the organization would foot the bill to create signs.

Niemoczynski also made clear that it was not a renaming as that “creates a whole other challenge,” but a co-naming as other historical towns might do.

Council President Matt Abell asked Street Superintendent Brian Ace if the signs could be made in-house, which Ace confirmed. Abell then said that he saw no reason why the borough couldn’t foot the bill for the signs.

Ace advised council that they should pick a color for the co-naming sign, as it cannot be the same green background with white letters as signs traditionally are. Council decided to make the street sign brown in coordination with Stroudsburg’s historical district.

Part of North 3rd Street in Stroudsburg has been co-named Little Bethel Way, inspired by the Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Part of North 3rd Street in Stroudsburg has been co-named Little Bethel Way, inspired by the Little Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

According to the SLBHA website, the Little Bethel A.M.E Church structure that is standing today was built in 1868, but the original structure was built either across the street or to the east of the current structure. "Little Bethel was to have its beginning in trust for the colored people of Stroudsburg to use as an (A.M.E.) meeting place and school," the website reads.

“The association is very pleased that Little Bethel is being recognized for its historical and cultural significance to the community,” SLBHA Board of Directors President Ann Parham wrote in a statement to the Pocono Record.

Parham also mentioned that the SLBHA will be sponsoring a bus trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, April 20.

Max Augugliaro is the public safety and government watchdog reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach him at MAugugliaro@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Part of Stroudsburg's North 3rd Street co-named Little Bethel Way