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Our New Home
The Bedford County
Historical Society operates the Pioneer Library,
the county's most extensive collection of historical and genealogical
materials. The society's Pioneer Library serves as a repository for all
types of historical information and welcomes donations of materials.
The Bedford County Historical Society, originally known as the Pioneer Historical
Society, was formed on July 4, 1937. Major Simon M. Lutz was the driving force behind the formation
along with with Albert S. Ritchey. Major Lutz remained a dominant figure for many years. More
details about the society's formation may be found in the first publication of The Pioneer, the
Society's quarterly magazine, dated July 1975, which is available in The Pioneer Library Compiled Quarterly Newsletters, Volume 1, 1975-1986.
The Pioneer Library, open five days a week, has
both paid staff and volunteers working to help library patrons research
family history, local and regional history and state history.
The fee to use the library is $5.00 for the first
hour and $2.00 per hour thereafter for non-members. In addition, the
society operates a genealogical search service for those who wish to
have a family line researched for them for a fee.
Bedford County was created in 1771, and her western border extended to the Ohio line. All records
for counties that were taken out of Bedford would be recorded here until that county was formed.
We encourage patrons who are not already members to join using the Membership link in the
panel on the left.
We have large collections of historical materials
related to Bedford County including many old maps and photographs. We have
information about Bedford County's role in the Civil War including a number
of items used in the war. We also have large collections of family
genealogy books, large files of unpublished records on individual families,
copies of many public records for Bedford County, church records, and
records on cemetery locations and inscriptions on grave markers in
cemeteries. You may see a partial listing of our collection and
resources by clicking on the Collection/Resources link in the panel on
the left.
The officers of the Bedford County Historical Society are:
- Gillian Leach, Executive Director
- Glenden Casteel, President
- Sue Moffitt, Vice President
- Dorothy Wyles, Recording Secretary
- Raymond W. Jackson, MD, Treasurer
Directors:
- Guy Calhoun
- Eugene Foor, PhD
- Lynn E. Garn, PhD
- Todd Greenwalt
- Margaret Koenig
- Jeffery Leber, Esq
- William Roy Mock
- Michael Shaffer
- Vonnee Sleighter
- Bob Way
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