Editing Bethany Beach, Delaware (section)

===The financial crisis of 1902–1903===
Bethany Beach soon encountered financial problems which threatened to bring the planned town to an end almost before it could begin. Bankers in [[Georgetown, Delaware|Georgetown]], Delaware, hesitated to loan money for the development of Bethany Beach because they had lost money on the development of [[Rehoboth Beach, Delaware|Rehoboth Beach]] to the north. Without sufficient financial backing, the Bethany Beach Improvement Company was unable to act on its plans, and little development occurred in Bethany Beach; basic services were lacking, construction stalled, work on the hoped-for railroad never began, and there was little agreement on how to address the new community's problems. In May 1902 the Christian Missionary Society withdrew its endorsement of Bethany Beach.<ref name="Meehan, p. 17"/><ref name=history/>
[[File:Bethany Beach boardwalk pre-1920.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|A view looking north of the original, surface-level boardwalk at Bethany Beach that was completed in 1903. It was destroyed by a storm in 1920.<ref name="Meehan, p. 64">{{cite book|title=Bethany Beach Memoirs: A Long Look Back|year=1998|publisher=Harold E. Dukes|author=James D. Meehan|edition=Fourth Printing|author2=Harold E. Dukes|page=64}}</ref>]]
Twenty-three landowners, mostly from the Pittsburgh area, concerned that the value of their Bethany Beach lots would drop, selected a committee to address the situation. The committee studied the problem, communicated with the Christian Missionary Society, and in September 1902 organized a meeting in Washington, D.C., which led to lengthy negotiations about putting Bethany Beach on a firm financial footing.  The negotiations dragged on until 1903, when six Pittsburgh-area investors agreed to buy all of the Bethany Beach Improvement Company's stock, selling three shares to a Delaware resident so that there would be at least some local ownership. This put the company on a firm financial footing and allowed the development of Bethany Beach to resume.<ref name="Meehan, p. 17"/>
[[File:Steamer Atlantic.jpg|upright=1.3|left|thumb|The [[Steamboat|steamer]] ''Atlantic'', which until 1910 transported passengers bound for Bethany Beach between [[Rehoboth Beach, Delaware|Rehoboth Beach]], Delaware, and [[Ocean View, Delaware|Ocean View]], Delaware.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bethany Beach Memoirs: A Long Look Back|year=1998|publisher=Harold E. Dukes|author=James D. Meehan|edition=Fourth Printing|author2=Harold E. Dukes|page=42}}</ref>]]

The Christian Missionary Society eventually restored its endorsement of Bethany Beach, and summer programs modeled on the Chatauqua movement began in the town,<ref name="Meehan, p. 17"/> meeting with modest success.<ref name="Meehan, p. 127">{{cite book|title=Bethany Beach Memoirs: A Long Look Back|year=1998|publisher=Harold E. Dukes|author=James D. Meehan|edition=Fourth Printing|author2=Harold E. Dukes|page=127}}</ref> Soon, the Bethany Beach Improvement Company dug a well to provide the town with fresh water.<ref name="Meehan, p. 17"/> In 1903, the company completed the [[Tabernacle (Methodist)|Tabernacle]] and built a surface-level [[List of boardwalks in the United States#Delaware|boardwalk]] along the beach.<ref name="Meehan, p. 147"/>