Bedford Historical Hall (Bedford Village Historic District)

The Bedford Historical Hall overlooks Bedford’s Village Green and was originally a Methodist Church constructed in 1806 at Bedford Four Corners. The 1806 church was moved to the present site on Post Road in 1837 by twenty teams of oxen. It replaced the original meetinghouse from the 1680s in this same spot, which had been destroyed by the British in1779. After the Methodists stopped holding services, it was put up for auction in 1916. In order to preserve the building, a small group of Bedford residents formed the Bedford Historical Society, which purchased the church and converted it into Bedford’s Historical Hall. The Society added improvements that included a stage, changing rooms, and bathrooms. The Historical Hall has been maintained ever since by the Bedford Historical Society and is used for private parties, meetings and exhibitions. The “Old Burying Ground” stands adjacent to the Historical Hall and contains graves dating to 1689. The Bedford Historical Hall is included in the Bedford Village Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Bedford’s Historical Hall is located on a parcel of land that has played a significant role in Bedford’s history for centuries. As far back as 1681, this site was valued by early settlers of Bedford, who chose to build their first meetinghouse on this spot and also started the town's first burial ground in 1689 immediately adjacent to the meetinghouse as a nondenominational cemetery. Decades after the original meetinghouse was burned by the British in 1779, the spot was became the new home for the 1806 Methodist Church in a building that was moved from Bedford Four Corners in 1837 after experiencing a decline in membership.

This 1806 Colonial-style church building located at the crossroads of Baldwin and Succabone was transported to the present site at the base of Bates Hill by twenty yoke of oxen. It was reassembled as a three-bay-by-five-bay, two-story structure, and exhibits a pedimented and pilastered gable end. Within, a balcony on three sides is supported by simple, square Doric columns and enclosed by paneling.

After the Methodists stopped holding services in the church, the building was put up for auction in 1916. To preserve it, a group of nine Bedford residents agreed to purchase the old church and repurpose it as a community space. This was the beginning of the Bedford Historical Society which was founded in 1916 to manage the Bedford Historical Hall. The society added a stage, changing rooms, and bathrooms to the church and began renting it out to cover the expenses of its maintenance. The Bedford Historical Society continues to maintain the building to this day, along with nine other historic properties and the museums at the 1787 Court House and 1829 School House.

In 1976, the curtains on the Bedford Historical Hall’s stage caught fire when a gust of air from opening the door blew the curtains against a stage lamp that had accidentally been left on. The building suffered extensive damage in spite of a speedy response by the Bedford Fire Department to contain the blaze. Together the Bedford Historical Society, a local insurance company, and local contractors carefully repaired the structure in time for Bedford’s bicentennial celebrations that same year.

In the 100+ years since the Bedford Historical Hall was founded by the Bedford Historical Society, it has seen a number of improvements. Continuously, though, it has also remained true to its original architectural design and integrity, including on the exterior. The Bedford Historical Society rents out the hall for private parties, meetings, and exhibitions. The Bedford Historical Hall is located in the Bedford Village Historic District, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Information and photos for this entry were contributed by the Bedford Historical Society. Special thanks to Lynn Ryan, Executive Director.

1. Bedford Historical Society. Walking Tour of Historic Bedford Village. Bedford, NY. 
2. Bedford Historical Society website. Accessed Nov 12, 2022. https://www.bedfordhistoricalsociety.org/
3. “Bedford Village Historic District #73001285.” National Register of Historic Places. United States Department of the Interior/National Park Service. 1973. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322953 
4. Lindefield Bianco, Shirley and Stockbridge, John. Images of America: Bedford. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. 2003.
5. Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Westchester County Historical Society. 2003.
6. Wood, James. A.M. The History of the Town of Bedford to 1917. Reprinted from the History of Westchester County, New York, 1925.