Originally called
Raystown, Bedford was settled about 1751 and laid out in 1766. It
was incorporated in 1795, and for many years was an important
frontier military post. In 1758
the British Army came to Raystown to set up a fort and named it Fort
Bedford after the Duke of Bedford in England. Some believe this is
how
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the town later got its
name. The fort was later a safe house for settlers escaping Indian
raids and
was "liberated" 10 years before the American Revolution by local
rebels, and was the first
fort taken from the British. Over the years the fort collapsed, but
was reconstructed in 1958.
The Espy House in Bedford is notable for having been the headquarters
of George Washington and his force of 13,000 while putting down the
Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. When Washington marched his army into town
to subdue the Whiskey Rebellion, there was much more at stake than
quieting the uprising. Washington felt the Constitution itself was at
risk. The rebellion quickly spread, and when it reached Pittsburgh
they almost burned the city down. One historian later stated, "It was
at Bedford that the new federal government was finally to establish
itself as sovereign in its own time and place."
At one time, Bedford was
also famous for its medicinal springs. News spread and the "healing
springs" quickly became popular. Dr. John Anderson purchased nearby
land and built a spa in 1804. People soon came from great distances in
search of cures. The Bedford Springs Hotel was the first place in
America to have an Olympic-sized pool. President Buchanan made it his
"summer White House," and in 1855, it housed the only Supreme Court
hearing ever held outside of the capital. Other notable visitors to
Bedford Springs included William Henry Harrison, James Polk and
Zachary Taylor. Rutherford B. Hayes, and Benjamin Harrison visited
Chalybeate Springs Hotel, as did many other notables. |
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