Visit the Bedford Historical Society and Bedford Town Museum this Weekend and Beyond

The Bedford Historical Society will have a booth at Bedford Day with a blacksmith demonstration, Bedford Historical Society merch including hoodie sweatshirts with the Bedford Flag, lanyards, and Bedford Flag magnets. Walk over to the new Town Museum at Old Town Hall and see exhibits on display on the first floor as well as history panels and a slide show on the third floor. Learn and celebrate why Bedford is such a special place. Courtesy Image.

Submitted by The Bedford Historical Society

Bedford Day will be here this Saturday. After you’ve visited as many booths as you can and you’ve finished enjoying your hot dog and cotton candy, save room for one more treat. Take a five minute stroll to see the new town museum exhibits in Old Town Hall across from the Town Common.

Take a walk through time and see Bedford’s rich history unfold when you visit the Great Room on the 3rd floor in Old Town Hall. The ‘History of Bedford‘ panels beautifully capture Bedford’s unique history over many centuries. The concept and design of these beautiful history panels was the brainchild of a very talented Bedford Historical Society member, Jan van Steenwijk, working with Town Historian Sharon McDonald and the Historical Society’s museum committee. The six panels and 30 events depicted on these panels all have had a major impact on today’s Bedford.

After viewing the panels, visit the first-floor exhibit area. It’s also the home of the Bedford Historical Society’s extensive archives and it is where volunteers document, research, and preserve the stories and artifacts of Bedford’s past. Ralph Hammond, long-time resident and retired principal of the Davis School and Lane Elementary School, said that the Historical Society is “Bedford’s attic.” And it’s true. And now the Historical Society is excited to be able to share these town treasures with museum visitors, often for the first time.

Find the Bedford Historical Society and the Town Museum at Old Town Hall on South Road. The first floor Town Museum is currently displaying a “Bedford at Work” exhibit, while the third floor boasts panels sharing Bedford’s history from prehistoric times to the present. Courtesy Images Bedford Historical Society.

Our new exhibit is called “Bedford at Work.” It tells of times past when working within the Town was a way of life, well before Bedford became a suburb of commuters. The artifacts and photographs from the Society’s collections show early Bedford as a largely agrarian economy and later showcase the work of Bedford men and women in the 19th and 20th centuries in all its variety and complexity.

“We hope this will be the first of many new and exciting exhibits in Old Town Hall and in other town locations going forward,” said Museum Committee Chair Paul Purchia.

Come by and celebrate why Bedford is such a special place to live and work.