Editing Bethany Beach, Delaware (section)

===Bethany Beach's growth years===

====The 1950s and early 1960s====
In 1952, the first span of the [[Chesapeake Bay Bridge]] opened, heralding the end of the Quiet Years and the beginning of accelerated development of the area as a beach resort. The bridge allowed motorists for the first time to drive from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore to the Delmarva Peninsula without a lengthy drive circling around the northern tip of the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. This made the Delaware coast a more popular vacation destination, and the development of real estate in and around Bethany Beach began in earnest. A real estate boom began, and was in full swing by the late 1960s;<ref name="Meehan, p. 93">{{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=93}}</ref> banking flourished in the area.<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=117}}</ref> The opening of the bridge's second span in 1973 made access even easier and, if anything, accelerated development further. Bethany Beach residents generally opposed the development of the area sparked by the opening of the bridge, and much political fighting occurred over the various real estate projects proposed for the area. Ultimately, economic pressure to develop the area was too great, and the Quiet Years came to end.<ref name="Meehan, p. 93"/>

The first development north of Bethany Beach, [[Sussex Shores, Delaware|Sussex Shores]], opened in either 1953 or 1958.<ref name="Meehan, p. 93, 155">{{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|pages=93, 155}}</ref> South of town, the [[Middlesex Beach, Delaware|Middlesex Beach]] community was built in 1958–1959. [[South Bethany, Delaware|South Bethany]], to the south of Middlesex Beach, considered the first major new development in the area, was built in 1962 and incorporated as a town in its own right in 1969.<ref name="Meehan, p. 93"/>

In 1961, the original Tabernacle, which had deteriorated badly since its completion 58 years earlier, was demolished.<ref name="Meehan, p. 155">{{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=155}}</ref>

The most destructive storm in Bethany Beach's history, the [[Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962]], was a surprise [[nor'easter]] that struck in March 1962. Created by the combination of what had been two separate storms, the nor'easter arrived on the evening of March 5, with 80-mile-per-hour (129-kilometer-per-hour) winds and 30-foot (9.1-meter) waves. The storm continued through three high tides while the tides were at their monthly peak before abating on March 7. Destruction was widespread; many of the beachfront structures that had stood since Bethany Beach's early decades were destroyed, including the bowling alley and many of the inns and houses, as were the boardwalk and town pavilion. Only one beachfront house in the southern part of town survived. Flood waters penetrated as far inland as Ocean View, and only three houses anywhere in Bethany Beach escaped flooding. Extensive [[coastal erosion|beach erosion]] occurred, and sand several feet (over a meter) deep buried streets and cars and filled entire rooms in some houses. Damages along the Delmarva Peninsula's Atlantic coastline exceeded $50&nbsp;million (USD).<ref name="Meehan, p. 103">{{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=103}}</ref> After the storm, the town rebuilt the boardwalk and put new regulations in place requiring that beach houses be built on 30-foot (9.1-meter) pilings.<ref name=history/><ref name="Meehan, p. 103"/> The 1962 storm had a lasting effect on Bethany Beach. Some longtime residents left Bethany Beach for good, while others noted that much of the old Bethany Beach of the Quiet Years had been destroyed, changing the character of the town forever.
<ref name="Meehan, p. 103"/>

====1962–1979====
Development of the area resumed after the 1962 storm. A new post office opened in 1965 and the town's first bank in 1966.<ref name="Meehan, p. 147"/> Construction of Bethany West, a major new development in the western part of Bethany Beach proper, began in 1966–1967.<ref name="Meehan, p. 93"/> A new town hall and police station opened in 1970.<ref name="Meehan, p. 147"/>

Plans for a beach and tennis community, Sea Colony, centered on nine high-rise condominiums situated on a private beach between Bethany Beach and South Bethany, began in 1969; these buildings, the Bethany Beach area's first and only high-rises, opened in the early 1970s. The 1,200-[[townhome]] Sea Colony West low-rise beach and [[tennis]] resort development later was added just inland.<ref name="Meehan, p. 93, 155"/> Plans for Sea Colony met bitter opposition from longtime Bethany Beach residents, who were dismayed at the thought of high-rises and large crowds in the area;<ref name="Meehan, p. 96">{{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=96}}</ref> town regulations had been designed to prevent the construction of high-rises within town limits.<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=95}}</ref> Opponents of Sea Colony marched in protest and engaged in protracted legal efforts to block construction of the resort, but the property lay outside the town limits and their efforts to block the construction of Sea Colony failed.<ref name="Meehan, p. 96"/> Sea Colony went on to become a very successful resort.<ref name="Meehan, p. 155"/>

Bethany Beach installed its first [[parking meter]]s in 1974, and they have become a major source of seasonal revenue for the town. In 1975, Bethany Beach installed a [[sewerage]] system and repaved its roads.<ref name="Meehan, p. 147"/> A [[bandstand]] was built on the boardwalk in 1976, and serves to this day as the venue for musical performances and cultural events.<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=99}}</ref> The Bethany Beach-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce began operations in 1976.

On December 22, 1976, a sculpture (widely but incorrectly referred to as a "[[totem pole]]") created by Hungarian sculptor [[Peter Wolf Toth|Peter Toth]] – who donated at least one sculpture to each of the 50 [[State (United States)|U.S. states]] as well as to locations in [[Canada]] in his "Trail of the Whispering Giants" project, a tribute to [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] – was dedicated at the intersection of Delaware Avenue (Route 1) and Garfield Parkway.<ref name="Meehan, p. 147"/><ref name=chieflittleowl>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=<!-- not stated --> |title=Totem Pole: "Chief Little Owl" |url=https://www.townofbethanybeach.com/325/Totem-Pole |website=Town of Bethany Beach |location= |publisher=Town of Bethany Beach |access-date=May 11, 2025}}</ref> The installation of the sculpture was controversial; many residents viewed it as irrelevant to Bethany Beach, where no history of Native American activity has been found. Although opponents of the sculpture suggested that its installation at Oak Orchard, the hub of Nanticoke settlement since the mid-17th century, would be much more appropriate, Toth wanted a more visible location and the sculpture was erected in Bethany Beach.<ref name="Meehan, p. 15"/><ref name=history/> The sculpture was named "Chief Little Owl" in honor of a Nanticoke chief of that name.<ref name=chieflittleowl/>

====1980s and 1990s====
Given its Christian roots and its secular desire to remain a "Quiet Resort", Bethany Beach historically had resisted the sale of alcoholic beverages within its jurisdiction. In 1982, the State of Delaware granted the Holiday House in Bethany Beach a liquor license, the first to an establishment in the town, prompting a lawsuit by the town and local landowners.<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|pages=147, 149}}</ref> Ultimately, Bethany Beach accepted the sale of alcohol, but the town strictly limits the number of bars within town limits, generally limits alcohol sales to restaurants, and permits no sale of alcoholic beverages after 11:30&nbsp;pm.<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=141}}</ref>

In the early 1980s, the Bethany Beach Fire Department offered the town's first emergency medical center, operated for the fire department by the [[Beebe Medical Center]] of [[Lewes, Delaware|Lewes]], Delaware.<ref name="Meehan, p. 126"/>

[[Hurricane Gloria]] struck Bethany Beach in September 1985, badly damaging the boardwalk.<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=115}}</ref>

In July 1987, the Bethany Beach Fire Department opened a substation in [[Fenwick Island, Delaware|Fenwick Island]], Delaware, on the coast a few miles south of Bethany Beach.<ref name="Meehan, p. 126"/> A major [[beach nourishment|beach replenishment]] project took place in 1989.<ref name="Meehan, p. 147"/>

On January 4, 1992, a destructive nor'easter struck Bethany Beach with 85-mile-per-hour (137-kilometer-per-hour) winds. It inflicted $250,000 in damage to the boardwalk, severely damaged beachfront structures, flooded eastern Bethany Beach and the fire station, and caused Toth's 1976 sculpture "Chief Little Owl" — which [[termite]]s already had damaged badly — to lean over dangerously.<ref name=chieflittleowl/><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|pages=112, 147}}</ref> The remains of Toth's sculpture were removed and donated to the [[Nanticoke Indian Museum]] in [[Millsboro, Delaware|Millsboro]], Delaware.<ref name=chieflittleowl/> In 1994, a new sculpture created by Dennis Beach and also known as "Chief Little Owl" was installed as a replacement for Toth's 1976 sculpture.<ref name=history/><ref name=chieflittleowl/>

The town's library, the South Coastal Library, opened on January 17, 1994. The town inaugurated a "Concerts at the Beach" program in 1995. On September 11, 1996, Bethany Beach broke ground for its new town hall and community center on what had been the site of its [[water tower]]. The building was dedicated on May 24, 1997.<ref name="Meehan, p. 41"/>

Severe nor'easters struck a week apart in 1998. The first, on January 28, was damaging, but the second, on February 4, was worse, and prompted the evacuation of low-lying areas due to the danger of flooding, those areas not having recovered from the first storm a week earlier. Severe beach erosion resulted from the 1998 storms.<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|pages=115, 147}}</ref>

====Since 2000====

By 2000, Dennis Beach's 1994 "Chief Little Owl" sculpture had rotted, and it was removed that year. The creator of the original 1976 sculpture, Peter Toth, crafted a third version of the "Chief Little Owl" sculpture in 2001 using [[red cedar]] imported from the [[Pacific Northwest]]. Designed to last between 50 and 150 years, it was dedicated on July 15, 2002, in a ceremony in which one of Little Owl's descendants blessed the sculpture in traditional Nanticoke fashion with song, prayer, and [[tobacco]].<ref name=history/><ref name=chieflittleowl/>

In 2001, Bethany Beach celebrated its centennial and completed a new tabernacle.<ref name="Meehan, p. 147"/>

Over the winter of 2008–2009, the town's beaches underwent a vast beach replenishment program that cost the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] approximately $20&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news|title=$20&nbsp;million expansion of Bethany Beach, Del., yields dramatic change|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sectionfront/life/20-million-expansion-of-bethany-beach-del-yields-dramatic-change-386133/|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|access-date=July 16, 2012|first=Margi|last=Shrum|date=March 23, 2008}}</ref> The [[dunes]] put in place with the program are controversial because they reach over the height of the boardwalk, blocking most views of the ocean. Much of the criticism of them came from editorials in newspapers such as the local ''[[Delaware Wave]]'' and ''Coastal Point'', along with Washington, D.C. media outlets. 
Remnants of [[Hurricane Ida (2009)|Tropical Storm Ida]] hit the town in November 2009, destroying most of the dunes, leaving cliffs, making the beach significantly narrower, and revealing old [[Jetty|jetties]]. Losses were estimated to cost the state of [[Delaware]] $40&nbsp;million {USD} and repairs were not made until after the 2010 summer beach season.[https://web.archive.org/web/20151211042903/http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20100119/DW01/1190303]

By 2011, Bethany Beach had joined a growing number of communities in instituting a [[smoking ban]], covering most of the beach and boardwalk areas.<ref>{{cite news
 |title=Delaware cities: Smoking still legal on Rehoboth Beach |author=Molly Murray
 |url=http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20110416/NEWS02/104160354/-1/NLETTER01/Smoking-still-legal-on-Rehoboth-Beach
 |newspaper=The News Journal  |date=April 16, 2011 |at=DelawareOnline |access-date=April 16, 2011 }}</ref>

A [[October 2015 North American storm complex|nor'easter]] hit Bethany Beach from October 2 to 4, 2015, and severely eroded the beach and dune and flooded parts of the town, especially in its northern section.<ref>[http://www.bestofbethany.com/blog/october-2015-noreaster.html Anonymous, "October 2015 Nor'easter," Leslie Kopp Group, November 12, 2015.]</ref> A [[January 2016 United States blizzard|winter storm]] that struck the town from January 22 to 24, 2016, washed away major sections of what was left of the town's dune and breached it in some places, again causing flooding.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.delaware1059.com/story/21737-bethany-beach-dunes-take-a-hit-from-winter-storm |title=Fowser, Mark, "Bethany Beach Dunes Take A Hit from Winter Storm," delaware1059.com, January 25, 2016, 3:01 a.m EST. |access-date=May 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624182903/http://www.delaware1059.com/story/21737-bethany-beach-dunes-take-a-hit-from-winter-storm |archive-date=June 24, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In February 2016, officials announced that there was no funding available for replenishment of Bethany Beach's dune and beach during 2016, and that replenishment would not take place until 2017, in accordance with the schedule established before the two storms hit.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.coastalpoint.com/content/poststorm_beach_repair_not_cards_present_02_26_2016 |title=Magill, Kevin, "Post-storm beach repair not in the cards at present," coastalpoint.com, February 26, 2016. |access-date=May 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529035008/http://www.coastalpoint.com/content/poststorm_beach_repair_not_cards_present_02_26_2016 |archive-date=May 29, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>