Bedford MA Town and School Info

 

The historic town of Bedford has a rich history. Its acreage was first awarded in the form of land grants in 1637 to Governor John Winthrop and his deputy Thomas Dudley.   In 1638, on the eastern bank of the Concord River, the two men divided their property with boulders as markers. Today, in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge you can still see the “Two Brothers Rocks." They are a silent symbol of generations from two early families working together as “kin” to solve mutual differences. In 1640, other settlers came to live and began to shape Bedford as a farming community.

 

Formally incorporated in 1729, Bedford was formed from a portion of Concord and a piece of Billerica. During the famous battle at the Old North Bridge in Concord, Bedford sent a company of Minutemen to push the Redcoats back to Boston. Bedford counts as one of its most precious possessions, the oldest known battle flag in the U.S.- from 1775. Its Latin motto, translated, means “Conquer or Die."

 

Today, Bedford, located only 15 miles from Boston, is a thriving community of 13,000.

In the past 50 years, farms have given way to housing subdivisions. Hi tech companies and retail plazas stand where pastures and orchards once dotted the landscape.