The town of Bedford, Virginia got its name by John Russell, who was The Fourth Duke of Bedford. The Bedford County is one of the places that grow very rapidly in Virginia and spreads on large portion of the Western-Central part of Virginia. The town of Bedford was formerly known as Town of Liberty, but it`s called Bedford ever since 1782. The town itself covers 6.80 square miles where you can find many great representatives of local architecture, restaurants and boutiques.
Bedford also has a very rich culture and history. Since 1984, Bedford is listed in the US Register of Historic Places as one of the towns with richest history. The year 1782 was the year when the town was first settled by the Europeans. Formerly known as Liberty, the place was a village up until 1839 when it became a town. In the late 1880s there was a devastating fire that destroyed much of Liberty, and during that period there was a revitalization campaign to rebuild the city. The town of Liberty was renamed to Bedford City in 1890, and after that year the city went through a period of big prosperity. The rail service, furniture manufacturing, textile and electrification all significantly improved. Many new buildings and houses were built, many of them still standing the test of time.
One very interesting thing regarding Bedford is that one of the founding fathers of USA – Thomas Jefferson has built his home in Bedford, which he used as his local retreat. Also one of the most famous historic people – Confederate`s general Robert E. Lee regularly visited Bedford as one of his favorite places.
Town of Bedford is home to many historic landmarks that are worth visiting. The National D-Day Memorial is one of the great places to visit if you want to learn more about the details of the battles from World War II. The Avenel Plantation and Elks National Home are couple of other attractive landmarks. The Sedalia Center for the Arts, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Smith Mountain Lake, the Peaks of Otter and Thomas Jefferson`s Poplar Forest should not be missed as well. In the region of Bedford there are many old wineries, antique stores and other nice places to visit. If you want to admire great scenery, enjoy beautiful nature and visit many historic landmarks, then the Town of Bedford should be your top choice when visiting Virginia.