~Submitted by the Bedford Historical Society
Two exciting topics will be presented at the Bedford Historical Society’s September 25 meeting, to begin at 2 PM in The Great Room of Old Town Hall, 16 South Road.
The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available at 2 PM (if covid rules permit); speakers will begin around 2:30 PM after short announcements and introductions by Society President Tom Kinzer.
The first speakers will include eight Bedford High School seniors. Four seniors won first place awards at the State competition last April for National History Day and four other seniors were honored by the USS Constitutional Museum for their military history project.
Erika Falco won first place in the Individual Exhibit Category for her exhibit, “Mercury 13: Debating Women’s Place in Space.” And the team of Anna Chang, Amelia Griffin, and Elora Syed won first in the Senior Group Documentary Category for their project, “Roe V. Wade: How Debate Resulted in a Controversial Decision on the Divisive Topic of Abortion.”
In addition, the team of Paul Jeon, Tomas Ou, Chris Woo, and Mihir Vaze received a special award from the USS Constitution Museum for having the best project relating to military history. They designed a website focusing on the development of the atomic bomb.
The Society annually honors top finishers in the National History Day program. These eight students have been invited to briefly describe their projects and the ways they researched the facts to develop the projects, before receiving a special award from the Society.
Old Billerica Road history
The second speaker is a familiar face in Bedford. Former Society President and local history buff Don Corey will tell “Tales from Old Billerica Road.” Originally an ancient Native American trail, Old Billerica Road has been an important part of Billerica’s and Bedford’s history since early colonial times.
Corey will talk about some of the people and events along this road that have made it a special place. He will describe how this road was the site of Bedford’s earliest saw and grist mill as well as some of the unique and unusual developments along the road over the years, and many of the Old Billerica Road residents who made their mark on Bedford’s history.
This presentation was given as part of Carleton-Willard Village’s 40th anniversary celebration, but due to COVID protocols, only residents could attend.
Don Corey has been an active member of the Bedford Historical Society and the Town of Bedford for many years and was honored for that service as Bedford’s 2002 Citizen of the Year. He serves on the Town’s Historic Preservation Commission and as a Director of the Friends of the Job Lane House.
He frequently gives talks on Bedford’s rich history to area groups, including Carleton-Willard Village and Bright View assisted living facilities, the Bedford Council on Aging, and at local patriotic observances. He was previously a Selectman and Planning Board member and served as the Historical Society’s President, its Treasurer, and a member of the Board of Directors.
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