The old arbor was the first building used by the people of Bethel and is believed to have been built in the early 1800s. The land on which the arbor and church were built was given by John Bramlett, Solomon Holland, and Benjamin Holland. Reunions of Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War were held at the arbor every July 21, the day Confederates repelled Union forces at the battle of Manassas. The last soldiers' reunion is thought to have been held around 1934.