Bedford NY Historical Society | Bedford NY Homes
The Founding of the Bedford Historical Society
In 1916, the Methodists stopped holding services in the church on Bedford Village green, now known as Historical Hall. When it became known that the beautiful old building was to be sold at auction, and that a man who lived near Bedford planned to turn it into a tenement, some of us met and raised the money to buy it. We delegated Colonel Thatcher T. P. Luquer to represent us at the auction. To our dismay, he returned with the news that this man had out-bid him.
That night some of the Bedford men called on the new owner and explained that they had wanted to preserve the building for the village. The buyer, a Pole, agreed to sell on condition that an additional $200 was given him in a cheque made out to the Polish War Relief Fund.
We then raised more money to repair the building, and put in a stage and dressing rooms to make it into a small Community House. At that time it was the only building of that kind in the Town and it was used constantly. The Bedford Historical Society was incorporated to manage it and to preserve other old buildings. The first Directors were: Miss Adelaide Baylis, Mrs. Lathrop Colgate, Richard S. Conover, Mrs. James Day, John Kinkel, Thatcher T. P. Luquer, Miss Delia Marble, Thomas O'Brien, Miss Sarah Williamson.
Reprinted from A Short Historical Tour of the Town of Bedford.
A Short History of the Bedford Historical Society
The building saved by the Historical Society is now known as Historical Hall and stands at the base of Bates Hill, the location of the original meeting house on the edge of the Village Green. It has been owned by the Historical Society ever since and the funds received from renting it help to maintain the building and support the programs offered by the BHS. In 1918 the Bedford Historical Society assumed responsibility for the Bedford Museum. Established in 1913, the museum was housed in the small stone building on the Green. Built in 1829, it was used as a schoolhouse until 1912. The School House has been restored as a 19th century one-room school and is affectionately known as “The Stone Jug.” The Bedford Museum has been expanded and relocated to the second floor of the 1787 Court House.
In 1946, the Society purchased the property, now known as the c. 1857 Jackson House, at the corner of Court Road to protect the adjacent Court House. The Court House, built in 1787, was restored by the Historical Society, the Town of Bedford and the State of New York between 1965 and 1970. It is the oldest, extant Westchester government building and one of only three 18th century court houses in New York. Court sessions were held here, alternately with White Plains, until 1870, by which time the railroad had made two county seats unnecessary. The Court House is owned by the Town of Bedford which maintains its exterior while the Historical Society has responsibility for interior maintenance and for the museum.
The Society purchased the 1838 General Store, next to the Old Burying Ground, in 1968. Four years later, the Society purchased the 1838 Post Office and the 1906 Lounsbery Building, which had been once been the Village A&P. The 1807 Library Building, formerly the Bedford Academy, was given to the Society in 1972.
In 1977, through the efforts of the citizens of Bedford, two acres of land surrounding the Bedford Oak were purchased and donated to the Society to protect the oak from encroaching development. The ground on which the oak stands had been deeded to the town by Harold C. Whitman in 1942 in memory of his wife Georgia Squiers Whitman. The Historical Society manages this vital buffer as well as the additional funds that were raised to preserve and beautify the land that belongs now and forever to the Bedford Oak.
The Historical Society also leases and maintains the Sutton Clock Tower for the benefit of the Town. The clock was purchased in 1879 by James Sutton as a gift for his new wife, the former Florence Macy, who was homesick for the chimes of Grace Church clock near her home in New York City. The clock was installed atop a barn on their farm. The barn burned down but the clock was preserved and donated to the community in 1939. Fifty neighbors who had come to rely on the hourly chiming raised the funds to remount the clock in the brick tower where it sits today on the corner of Guard Hill and Succabone Road. A group of neighbors, known as the Clock Winders, takes turns winding the clock weekly.
In 2008, the Society renovated the General Store and moved its offices there, allowing the society to be more accessible and to have a place of its own. Here, we display artifacts, documents and photographs from our collections, provide information on Bedford’s history and current events, host educational programs, and operate a small gift shop offering our publications, Bedford gifts and penny candy in the spirit of the building’s original use as a general store.
The Society sponsors lectures of interest to our membership and the community, educational tours and events, special exhibits of our collections, as well as fund-raising events to support our mission. The society is supported by its membership and we encourage all residents who enjoy our scenic village to join and help us to continue to protect and preserve Bedford’s historic character.
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