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The Bender House

The Bender House has historical significance in the Greenwood Mennonite Church History. Lester and Mary Lou Beachy owned the house which was first purchased by Lester’s grandfather, Valentine Bender on January 1, 1914. Their plan was to raze the old house after they built their new one.

Providentially, a Val Bender reunion was being held in Greenwood in 1993 and a groundswell of interest to save the old building began to grow. Money was raised and a Bender steering committee was formed to explore a plan to save the old house.

The house was dismantled, secured and moved to the property of Millard and Lura Benner, (the original homestead of the Neven Bender family), where it was repaired and restored. It stands like a sentinel several hundred yards from road 36, at the edge of the woods where the little brown school house once stood. It beckons visitors with its simple grace to come and take a backward look in time.

While this house is important in the lives of many Mennonites in Delaware, the Board agrees that we do not want this important icon to crowd out the other significant places, events and people in Delaware’s unique history. Yet, this simple building, about to be destroyed, became the catalyst that helped bring about the birth of the Delaware Mennonite Historical Society.

Churches

DMHS, in keeping with its mission statement intends to provide a vibrant and accurate presentation of Mennonites in Delaware. At present this includes:

Greenwood
Mennonite Church

Greenwood 1914

Cannon
Mennonite Church

Bridgeville 1976

Laws
Mennonite Church

Harrington 1953

Central
Mennonite Church

Dover 1955

Tressler
Mennonite Church

Greenwood 1935

First
Mennonite Church
Wilmington 1959-1972.

Maranatha Fellowship
Dover

The Board of Directors

President
Paul Bender

Treasurer
Amy Schlabach

Secretary
Jesse Bontrager

Archives
Harvey Mast

Buildings and Grounds
Titus Schlabach

Legal
Truman Schrock

Consulting
Millard Benner
Harold Huber
Vernon Zehr, Jr.