Editing Bedford, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
[[File:Bedford fraser tavern.jpg|thumb|Fraser Tavern, a stone structure built after 1789, on the site of the original structure, which opened in 1758]]
[[File:AugustusKollnerNorthViewOfBedfordPA.jpg|thumb|''North View of Bedford, PA'' an 1840 portrait by [[Augustus Kollner]]]]
[[File:Bedford penn street.jpg|thumb|East Penn Street in Bedford]]
The area around Bedford was inhabited by Euro-American traders during the late 1740s and early 1750s. Permanent settlers, however, did not arrive until after [[Forbes Road]] was constructed in 1758 to support the [[Forbes Expedition|Forbes Expedition's]] campaign against [[Fort Duquesne]].

In 1758, the [[British Army]] under General John Forbes arrived at the location of John Ray's trading post to establish [[Fort Bedford]], which served as a supply depot along the line of fortifications between [[Carlisle, Pennsylvania|Carlisle]] and the Forks of the [[Allegheny River]]. The fort was named after John Russell, the 4th [[Duke of Bedford]]. Some believe that the town later took its name from this fort. Fort Bedford was one of a series of British Army outposts leading west from Carlisle to the [[Point State Park|Forks of the Ohio]], which had been claimed by the French, who had constructed Fort Duquesne to control fur trading in the Ohio Valley and along the Mississippi River. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], Fort Bedford served as a refuge for settlers fleeing raids by Indigenous groups.

There is a popular myth that Fort Bedford was captured by American rebels, James Smith's "[[Black Boys]]," ten years before the American Revolution, making it the "first British fort to fall to American rebels." However, this claim is inaccurate. The British Army had already abandoned the fort in 1766, following the conclusion of [[Pontiac's War|Pontiac's Rebellion]], whereas Smith's raid occurred in 1769. During the raid, a group of men attacked a pack train, seizing weapons and other goods intended for trade. These men were imprisoned, prompting Smith and his followers to attack the fort, which was guarded only by local settlers. The attackers freed the prisoners and seized additional firearms before departing. In his memoirs, Smith sought to portray himself as a figure akin to Robin Hood.

in 1766, [[John Lukens]] laid out the village of Bedford, which was formally incorporated on March 13, 1795. Due to administrative issues, the town had to be re-incorporated in 1816.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bedford County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project |title=Bedford County History |url=http://www.pa-roots.com/~bedford/history/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026052359/http://www.pa-roots.com/~bedford/history/history.html |archive-date=October 26, 2006}}</ref>

Fort Bedford eventually fell into ruin. In 1958, a structure modeled after one of the fort's blockhouses was built and now houses the Fort Bedford Museum. The original fort, which stood to the east of the museum, was not reconstructed.

In 1794, President [[George Washington]] mustered 13,000 Federal troops near Bedford to suppress the [[Whiskey Rebellion]], which was sparked by a tax on whiskey. The troops are believed to have assembled near [[Jean Bonnet Tavern]], four miles west of Bedford, while Washington himself used the Espy House in Bedford as his headquarters. The rebellion mainly involved farmers who argued that transporting [[whiskey]] was more economically viable than transporting grain. The uprising escalated, leading Washington to act decisively to ensure that federal laws were upheld. One historian later remarked, "It was at Bedford that the new federal government was finally to establish itself as sovereign in its own time and place."<ref>{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.bedboro.com/about-us/#:~:text=12%2C950%20militiamen%20were%20called%20to,famous%20for%20its%20medicinal%20springs. |website=Bedford Borough |access-date=November 18, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

During the 19th century, Bedford County became well known for its medicinal springs, leading to the development of three resorts: Bedford Springs, Chalybeate Springs, and White Sulphur Springs. The [[Omni Bedford Springs Resort|Bedford Springs Resort]], established in 1806 by Dr. John Anderson, became particularly popular for its "healing waters." The resort offered several types of [[mineral spring]]s and attracted visitors seeking cures for various ailments. President [[James Buchanan]] used Bedford Springs as his "[[summer White House]]," and it was there that he received the first trans-Atlantic cable message from [[Queen Victoria]] on August 17, 1858. In 1855, the resort also hosted the only [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] hearing ever held outside of Washington, D.C.

The [[Chalybeate Springs Hotel]] was another prominent destination for affluent visitors during the 19th century. Notable guests of the Bedford Springs and Chalybeate Springs hotels included Presidents [[William Henry Harrison]], [[James Polk]], [[Zachary Taylor]], [[Rutherford B. Hayes]], and [[Benjamin Harrison]], as well as [[Thaddeus Stevens]] and other notable figures.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pa-roots.com/~bedford/history/capital.html |title=Bedford County summer capital of the U.S. |author=Bedford County Pennsylvania Genealogy Project |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026052525/http://www.pa-roots.com/~bedford/history/capital.html |archive-date=October 26, 2006}}</ref>

[[U.S. Route 30]], also known as the [[Lincoln Highway]], passes through Bedford. Prior to the opening of the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] in 1940, U.S. Route 30 was the primary east-west route connecting [[Philadelphia]] to the west. In 1927, a coffee pot-shaped building, originally a [[diner]], was constructed by David Koontz in Bedford. This unique landmark was relocated to the Bedford County Fairgrounds in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nationaltrust.org/Magazine/archives/arc_news/120103.htm |title=Giant Coffee Pot Will Be Moved to Safety |author=Foster, Margaret |date=December 1, 2003 |work=Preservation Online |publisher=National Preservation Trust |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209015521/http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/archives/arc_news/120103.htm |archive-date=February 9, 2006}}</ref>

The [[Bedford Historic District (Bedford, Pennsylvania)|Bedford Historic District]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1983.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>