The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The community is believed to have gotten its name from Thomas J. Bedford, who was the first west bound Pony Express rider to deliver the mail on its final leg from Benicia, California to Oakland, California on April 23, 1861. Bedford is believed to have operated Bedfords Store and Trading Post in 1848 within the city limits. He moved to California later that year, in the California Gold Rush.
The community was called "Grove" when a post office was established on June 30, 1855. On June 24, 1856 it was changed to Bedford. Other histories have noted possible other sources of the name:
Bedford in England (possible original home of early settlers)
Bedford, Pennsylvania (reputed home of a "government engineer")
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Start Bedford’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bedford’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Bedford, decade by decade
2000
5 historic places in Bedford
Bedford has 5 listings on the National Register, and they protect 47 historic buildings, because Bedford Commercial Historic District alone counts 43.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 2002Bedford Commercial Historic DistrictListed 1977Bedford HouseListed 1981Taylor County CourthouseListed 1999Lenox Round BarnListed 1999Bedford Oil Company StationThen & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.