Fortified Bedford House

Fortified Bedford House 1758: an old structure with a new story. Walls waiting to talk; to tell their tales; a 501c3

“Some broken things don’t need to be fixed. Sometimes they just need to be appreciated.”—unknown
08/31/2026

“Some broken things don’t need to be fixed. Sometimes they just need to be appreciated.”—unknown

Dated 1881 & rolled up into a tiny scroll that crumbled at the edges with the fragility of the paper. Some names here of...
08/30/2026

Dated 1881 & rolled up into a tiny scroll that crumbled at the edges with the fragility of the paper. Some names here of recognizable generations of Bedford folk. Interestingly, there’s no nominees on this ballot for “Director of the Poor.” These tiny bits of items are among all the stuff we painstakingly saved to photograph & to share so you could be right there with us in all the discoveries.

08/29/2026

Take the journey with us! Transformations that bring us right back to where started—renewed, refreshed, revealed.

How about a nice little batch of canned dried beef with a recipe for scrambled eggs on the lid? In the late 1880s & earl...
08/28/2026

How about a nice little batch of canned dried beef with a recipe for scrambled eggs on the lid? In the late 1880s & early 1900s, beef in a jar became a big deal. Why was this container saved? Why was it left behind for 100 years? Maybe so we could talk about days gone by & how things ebb & flow. I mean, the new Bedford Rutter’s sells Spam sandwiches, & not the scam advertisement variety—the kind served with mayo & pickles. How do I know this, you ask? Well, whilst I’m eating arugula & pine nut chutney on zaatar crisps, my husband is chomping on his favorite meal from his teenage years—Spam. Wasn’t too bad for an occasional “treat.” Wonder how it would’ve stacked up against Cudahy in a jar? And I’m curious whether it was once packed in that meat gel that they use in canned Vienna sausages? Asking for a friend…😎

Peppercorn Market has that arugula & pine nut chutney, as well as a mint pistachio pesto I could eat with a spoon. For Spam sandwiches, I’d try Rutters. 😎

Somebody had a sweet tooth in the early 1910-1920 years these were produced. Forget caramels in a paper bag or cardboard...
08/27/2026

Somebody had a sweet tooth in the early 1910-1920 years these were produced. Forget caramels in a paper bag or cardboard box—put mine in metal & make it fancy! 😊 Write things on the tin like how highly nutritious they are—& brag that they’ve never been touched by human hands—all rolled out by an “automatic machine.” Extra yum, right? 😎🤣😎

A bone-handled brush! A brass button & a polka-dotted bow scarf that is also meant to button; a shiny cuff link & wooden...
08/26/2026

A bone-handled brush! A brass button & a polka-dotted bow scarf that is also meant to button; a shiny cuff link & wooden clothespin. Do you feel a whole story scenario all at once here? Stuff doesn’t have to have value to be a treasure. It has to move you to a memory you didn’t know was there…

Today’s find is a heavily damaged remnant of an old metal sign. It once read “Defibaugh Optician & Jeweler.” Bedford Gaz...
08/25/2026

Today’s find is a heavily damaged remnant of an old metal sign. It once read “Defibaugh Optician & Jeweler.” Bedford Gazette archives have an article about this shop dated 1902. Anyone have info to share on this place way back at the start of the 1900s? The sign was made in Coshocton, Ohio which is interesting to me since it’s not too far from where I grew up.

For today’s historical item we discovered in our structure upon renovations, is this oddity. It looks like a brown farm...
08/24/2026

For today’s historical item we discovered in our structure upon renovations, is this oddity. It looks like a brown farm egg. It’s hollow & it’s thin-walled. If feels like an egg. It’s shaped like an egg. The shell feels like an egg. Google reverse says it’s carved wood, or a stone, or a “bugbear” pod. Hmm. Any clues to share? This item feels fragile but somehow survived again & again being left behind, not recognized, & not identified. It’s been buried in stuff again & again & yet has survived. Sound familiar? We welcome any info you have on this object. She’s a beauty! Looks wet because I washed the coal dust off of it.

It makes me so happy to think of the children that once inhabited this building after its use for gunpowder & military s...
08/24/2026

It makes me so happy to think of the children that once inhabited this building after its use for gunpowder & military supplies was not needed. Little lacy bits & stiff little ornate shoes—for both boys & girls were found in the attic. These came from the exact premises where families of the community resided above their shops & businesses for short periods of time. Stay tuned all this week—I’ll be posting photos of items we discovered onsite.

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111 S. Juliana Street
Bedford, PA

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