“Being able to celebrate Old Bedford Village’s 50th anniversary while also recognizing America 250 makes this moment especially memorable, because it connects the story of our community with the larger story of our nation,” said volunteer Brian Clites.

Old Bedford Village was established in 1976 to represent the history of the county and the history of early America on the frontier. While other historical villages like Virginia’s Colonial Williamsburg depict a more urban area, Old Bedford Village represents a rural community of the time.

“I think it’s important to remember that heritage as well, that here in Pennsylvania, Bedford was truly the American frontier,” Wessner said. “That was about as far west as people went because of the Allegheny Mountains, at least in the early years.”

The village itself represents “all the way up through the 1800s,” Wessner said, with various buildings representing different time periods.

Old Bedford Village was established in 1976 to represent the history of the county and early America on the frontier. Courtesy photo

“We do show that 1700s early American feel, but then as these towns developed out, they started to have trade shops and you had people offering these services,” Wessner said. “It really helps show the growth of America and where we came from and how we’ve gotten to where we are today.”

Early American structures

During its construction “efforts were made to transport early American structures from around Bedford County,” said volunteer John Wessner, “so all of the buildings at Old Bedford Village are from Bedford County.”

A number of those buildings are “true historical structures” from the 17th and 18th centuries, with a few others being “reproduction buildings” constructed to represent various trades like a blacksmith shop, broom shop and candlemaking shop, Wessner said.

Clites said he was always drawn to the Village’s blacksmith and gunsmith shops growing up. A lifelong resident of Bedford County, Clites has been going there since elementary school, first as a visitor, later as a boy scout and finally as a volunteer.

All of the buildings at Old Bedford Village are from Bedford County. During its construction, “efforts were made to transport early American structures from around Bedford County,” said volunteer John Wessner. Courtesy photo

“One memory that has stayed with me is visiting in third grade and each student receiving a horseshoe made by the blacksmith,” Clites said. “It was such a memorable way to bring a small piece of history home.”

Wessner, a fourth-grade teacher at Foot of Ten Elementary in Duncansville, has taken many of his students on field trips to the village.

The students participate in hands-on programs and activities such as tin piercing, leather working and writing with quill pens. Students can also attend a camp “that’s an even more immersive experience than what we do for the school visits, where they come in and participate in a variety of activities throughout the day,” Wessner said.

“One year we were able to offer an archeological dig experience,” Wessner said. “They would be digging for relics around the village, because that area used to be a farmstead.”

To Wessner, seeing families and children enjoying the village “is truly the best part” of volunteering.

“It’s one thing to read about these times in textbooks, but having a living example to go and see and smell the gun powder — whether it’s a Wild West event or a Civil War event, the smell of the cannons and campfires — really brings things to life and hopefully it’s those things that help inspire somebody to get a book and read a little deeper.”

Visitors can also utilize an interactive tour by scanning QR codes at different buildings to play a video explaining the building and the trade it housed, Wessner said.

“The work that we did in creating that virtual tour was very rewarding to see come to fruition,” Wessner said. “When we are struggling to have as many people in as many buildings as we wish we could, it’s nice that something exists now through technology and it’s nice to see the way modern technology can enhance our understanding of history.”

Heritage highlighted

Another way the Village has used modern technology to help visitors experience history is by creating a Facebook page. Both Wessner and Clites assist with the Village’s social media presence by promoting ongoing and upcoming events.

For the Fourth of July celebration, when the Village turns 50 and the United States turns 250, Wessner said they will have historians, activities and games available as a “family reunion style of event that would have been celebrated in the early days of our country.”

Clites is especially excited for the coinciding anniversaries, as it “will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Village’s history, connect with the community and recognize the important role it continues to play in Bedford County.”

That role is to provide a place where local history is preserved, where people can learn, gather, volunteer and connect with the traditions and stories that shape Bedford County.

“It also creates a sense of pride in our community by highlighting the heritage, craftsmanship, and everyday lives of those who came before us,” Clites said.

Wessner echoed this, saying anywhere you can be immersed in and surrounded by history is essential, as it “gives you a connection to what came before and how we got to where we are.”

One of Wessner’s favorite events that achieves this is the Murder Mystery event the Village puts on every fall.

During that event, someone who is not a part of the cast is chosen to be the murdered individual and participants have to determine who the killer is out of a pool of eight suspects.

“By far the thing I am proudest of on a personal level is that last year, my 10-year-old daughter participated in her first event, volunteering alongside me at the Murder Mystery Evenings,” Wessner said. “Seeing her take an interest in history and step into the world of living history was a truly memorable moment for me, and I’m so grateful that volunteering at Old Bedford Village provided this opportunity for our family.”

Wessner has also volunteered by performing as a Civil War soldier, both Union and Confederate depending on the need, and has helped out during the Village’s Wild West event.

“We bring in volunteers from around the mid-Atlantic for that one,” Wessner said. “Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, New York — It’s great to bring a lot of people together to tell that story.”

One of the Village’s most popular events is its Old-Fashioned Christmas event, which sees upwards of 1,000 visitors.

“We also have a Napoleonic Wars event where we can bring some history to life that people don’t always get to see here in this area,” Wessner said.

That event showcases the time period, which “actually led us into the Civil War era,” Wessner said, explaining that “the tactics that were used by our Civil War soldiers were Napoleonic era tactics, at least at the start of the Civil War.”

“During the Civil War, we developed new technologies that moved us more toward trench warfare,” Wessner said. “It’s that bridge where history — where one thing leads to another so as Civil War generals were studying at West Point, they were studying the tactics of Napoleon.”

The events held at Old Bedford Village are what truly make it “special” as they “give people the opportunity to experience history in a way that feels personal, tangible and alive,” Clites said.

“It is more than a place where artifacts are displayed; it is a place where visitors can step into the past, see how people lived, and connect with the daily life, skills, and traditions that shaped our region,” Clites said. “For many people, it is both educational and memorable because it makes history feel real and accessible.”

The Fourth of July celebration will give volunteers and visitors alike the opportunity to honor not only the people who helped shape Old Bedford Village, but the United States, Clites said.

“It will be a reminder that history is not just something from the past, but something we continue to preserve and share,” Clites said.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.

If you go

Where: 220 Sawblade Road, Bedford, PA 15522

Tickets: Children 5 and under are free; youth aged 6 to 17, $7; adults aged 18 to 64, $12; seniors aged 65 and older, $11; prices for specific events may vary

Upcoming events: July 4 Founders Day Celebration; July 11-12 Napoleon Grand Tactique Weekend; Aug. 8-9, Living History Weekend; Aug. 15-16, Meet the Union Generals; Sept. 5-6, 6th Pa Union Soldiers & Civilians Encampment; Sept. 19-20, Wild West Weekend; Oct. 3 and 10, Murder Mystery Evenings; Oct. 17-18, Pumpkinfest; Dec. 5-12, An Old-fashioned Christmas