Bedford County was originally formed in 1754 from part of Lunenburg County. The
name Bedford was chosen by the House of Burgesses, in honor of John Russell,
the fourth Duke of Bedford and then Secretary of State of Great Britain.
Patriotism abounded following the Revolutionary War and in October of 1782, the
Town of Liberty, now known as the City of Bedford, was established.
New London was the location of the first county seat. William Calloway donated
100 acres of land near his home and built a very modest courthouse and prison
here. New London quickly became the site of a flourishing village. Lots were
sold in town for houses and storefronts. Several schools, including New London
Academy, the oldest secondary school in Virginia, were responsible for
attracting students and families from every area.
There are many homes and districts of historic significance in Bedford
including:
Poplar Forest, Fancy Farm, Avenel, Three Otters, Lochwood Hall, Old Jeter Place,
Liberty Hall, Woodbourne, Bedford Historic District and Cifax Rural Historic
District
Bedford City/County Museum
Local history during the Civil War, World War I, and World War II is on display
at the Bedford City/County Museum, housed in an 1895 Romanesque revival
building that was originally built as a Masonic Temple. The museum, in downtown
Bedford next to the county courthouse, has three floors of exhibits, including
a special D-Day exhibit and rooms dedicated to regional history of Native
Americans and African-Americans. A genealogy research library is available on
the museum
’s first floor. Hours: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is
closed Sundays, national and school holidays. The Museum and Genealogy library
are free and open to the public; however a $2 per adult donation is suggested.
The National D-Day Memorial
When the citizens of Bedford awoke early on June 6, 1944, and the farms in Bedford County came to life that summer day, few people knew of
the heroism and sacrifice that had taken place several hours earlier across the
Atlantic on the for bidding beaches of Normandy, France. No civilian in this
part of Southwestern Virginia knew that Operation Overlord was underway, and
that 19 young men from Bedford-sons, husbands, brothers, and fathers
– had died or would yet die that day in the water and sand of Omaha Beach. These
men, soldiers of Company A, 29th Division of the U.S. Army
’s 116th Infantry Regiment, were in the first landing craft that floated onto
French beaches in the nascent dawn of D-Day. Three more men from Bedford, after
surviving the invasion, would perish in the attempt to push Nazi Germany from
Normandy.
No one would have thought that a small town of 3,200 citizens would sacrifice
such a large percentage of its youth to death in battle,
and the families left behind did not easily bear the loss. Yet the Bedford Boys
came from a generation that had known deprivation and sacrifice. They embodied
the qualities of this country, that made men like themselves willing to
exchange their lives, so that liberty and the American way of life could
continue at home. Bedford, then, is a fitting place for a memorial to the valor
and sacrifice not only of the first men to hit the beach, but also of every
D-Day participant.
The National D-Day Memorial is located in Bedford at the interchange of Routes
460 and 122. Hours: 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. daily. The Memorial is closed
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year
’s Day and may close during inclement weather.
Admission: Adults - $5; Children $3; Under age 6 are free
Telephone 1-800-351-DDAY or visit www.dday.org
Admission: Adults - $5; Children $3; Under age 6 are free
Telephone 1-800-351-DDAY or visit www.dday.org
Poplar Forest
Not all houses in Bedford County have eight sides. One marvelous house near the
town of Forest does
–an octagonal summer retreat that belonged to a somewhat shy man who liked to
play the violin. This man designed the house, which he called Poplar Forest,
and was for him both a country villa and a plantation.
On summer evenings, when the sun was setting behind the Blue Ridge Mountains,
when the parlor
’s floor-to-ceiling windows were open to the breeze, and lamp light perpetuated
the day, the man often played his violin.
Poplar Forest was this man’s retreat, a place where he could read, write, and savor the companionship of
his children and grandchildren. The house and its setting, among poplars,
magnolias, boxwoods and green fields, created a private place where the burdens
of a long, demanding career could ebb until he returned to his less-secluded,
often very public, world.
He wasn’t just any man. For, in addition to being a musician, architect and farmer, he
was a classicist, an eloquent writer, a diplomat, and a statesman. He was
governor, secretary of state, vice president, and president. He was Virginia
’s own Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson and his wife, Martha, inherited the Poplar Forest property from her
family. The land was fertile, bearing tobacco and other produce. Slaves, housed
at the farm, managed the operation and planted, tended, and harvested the
crops. When Jefferson conceived an idea for a country villa on the estate,
construction began in 1806. It took 20 years to finish Poplar Forest. After his
retirement in 1809, he was able to get away to his idyllic retreat frequently.
Visit Poplar Forest, and hear the echoes of a working plantation. Go back 200
years and imagine a great man, a genius, enjoying the simple pleasures of the
country, dining with cherished friends and his daughters and their families,
and imagine him gazing often into the hazy distance toward the mountains of his
beloved Virginia.
Located in Forest, Virginia. Hours: Poplar Forest is open from 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Monday from April through November
– except Thanksgiving Day.
Admission: Adults - $8; Seniors (age 60+) $6; Youth (ages 6 - 16) - $1; Children
under age 6 are free.
James River & Kanawha Canal Lock
Near the village of Big Island is a remnant of engineering ingenuity and river
commerce of the early 1800s. The National Park Service has reconstructed Lock
#7 of the James River
& Kanawha Canal.
George Washington first proposed a navigable waterway from Richmond to the Ohio
River and then to the Mississippi in 1774. The Virginia link to the Ohio, the
James River, had too many obstacles for such a waterway without improvements.
After canals were built to bypass Richmond Falls and Balcony Falls on the James
River, the Kanawha Canal opened in 1840, extending from Richmond to Lynchburg.
By 1851, the canal, now 196.5 miles, with 90 lift locks, extended to Buchanan,
Va. Along the length of the canal, water levels rose 728 feet.
The restored canal lock is on the James River, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The National Park Service has a visitor center that highlights the history of
the canal. From Bedford, take Route 122 North to Big Island. Follow U.S. Route
501 to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Civil War Battle Reenactment Centertown Bedford
The Stuart Horse Artillery, a local group of Civil War reenactors, will host a
Civil War battle through the streets of downtown Bedford on Sunday, 29 April
2007. Part of its
“Living Liberty” weekend (Friday, 27 Apr-Sun, 29 Apr), the public is invited to attend this
unique historical event, one of the few chances in the country to witness a
Civil War battle reenactment up close. Hundreds of reenactors will be involved,
including units representing infantry, cavalry and artillery. There is no cost
to spectators to witness the battle or to visit the soldiers
’ camps.
Bedford Historical Society
For more than 30 years, the Bedford Historical Society, an all-volunteer,
nonprofit organization of 400 members has provided leadership and resources for
numerous preservation, educational and heritage tourism projects. The society
’s funds come only from private donations, projects and events. Membership is
open to all interested citizens.
