Jul 6, 2018 | Features & Columnists
By Julie McCay Turner
Some would say that a house is just structure built of bricks and mortar, but houses hold the history of their place and the stories of their families.
The residence at One Fawn Circle is still known as the Hayden house. It was built in 1926 by Sarah Holden Hayden to draw her son Arthur Holden Hayden back to Bedford so he could assume control of his father’s company, New York Pharmaceutical Corporation, and continue the production of HVC, Hayden’s Viburnum Compound, after his brother William’s death in 1923.
Jul 4, 2018 | Features & Columnists
By the Founders, in Congress on July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
Jul 3, 2018 | Features & Columnists
By The Bedford Scallion
A strange phenomenon was experienced in the picturesque town of Bedford, MA, just miles northwest of Boston. The town, home of some 13,000 residents appears almost abandoned these days. Traffic, normally bumper-to-bumper from 4 PM to at least 6 PM is practically non-existent. The lunch hour rush is a dribble. Parking lots are empty and stores appear bereft of customers.
Strangely, local observers noted that the local coffee-and-donut shop was as busy as usual.
Jun 8, 2018 | Features & Columnists
With thanks to the Department of Public Works for this one!
May 24, 2018 | Features & Columnists
By The Bedford Scallion
Missed in all the excitement and energy behind the Bedford Dog Park effort, another committee continues on with little success.
The Cat Park Task Force was formed years ago in an effort to find a safe and, more importantly, a different place to nap.
May 14, 2018 | Features & Columnists, Schools
By Ginni Spencer, Board Member, The Bedford Citizen The Bedford Citizen announced a series of upcoming articles reflecting the perspective of local students on issues about gun regulation and the impact of violent shootings in schools. The most recent example of...
Apr 12, 2018 | Arts and Culture, Features & Columnists
By Bob Dorer
In looking at the old town reports, it appears that over the years Bedford was very thrifty with its annual report printing contracts. It is interesting to see the many different printing firms from Boston, Worcester, even Cambridge’s Brattle Press, which have had the privilege of printing our town’s informative annual reports. In 1918 A.T. Howard Company of Boston did the honors. The cover of this report contains the “old” town seal that was first used in the annual report of 1900. The annual report of 1899 noted the adoption of a town seal to comply with an act of the Legislature of Massachusetts in 1898 requiring each town to have an official seal for use by the town clerk. The report goes on to note the design of Bedford’s new (now old) seal was developed by Mr. Brown (Abram E., I assume) and signified the original meeting house on “the Common” of the newly cleared forest, with many tree stumps evident, in a central position in the forest between Concord and Billerica, both towns having ceded some of their lands far from their respective centers for the creation of Bedford in 1729. The stumps on this interesting old seal remind me of another “stump town,” Portland, Oregon.
Feb 21, 2018 | Arts and Culture, Features & Columnists
By Bob Dorer
In 1893 Bedford town officials were using phrases like “at this late day, the last decade of the nineteenth century” to preface comments on the general state of affairs in their (our) town. It was clearly a time of both reflection and change for town folks. Just looking at the list of town officials and positions gives one a better sense of the times: Overseers of the Poor, Janitor of Town Hall (now our “old Town Hall”) & the Piano Committee (more on this later), Surveyors of Lumber, Wood & Bark, and Weighers of Grain and Coal, and a Superintendent and Matron of the Town Farm, in addition to positions we are more familiar with such as Selectmen and School Committee.
And if we thought our present-day town meetings were interesting, here are a few results from the annual and fall town meetings of 1892 documented in the 1893 annual town report.
Jan 18, 2018 | Features & Columnists
Compiled by The Bedford Citizen
Enjoying an al fresco lunch at Huckins Farm on a sunny, snowy winter day!
Oct 19, 2017 | Arts and Culture, Features & Columnists
By Jeff JHO Hoyland
Last year at this time, Bedford was awash with Fall colors. This year the foliage changeover is running a week or two later. You can still find spots of color, so take a walk this warm weekend and view the beauty we call Bedford.
