About our Area

Location

Bedford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is within the Greater Boston area, some 15 miles north-west of the city of Boston. The town's physical location is ideal as it allows easy access to the metropolitan area, the Atlantic Ocean and coastal area (both north and south of Boston), and many other cultural and historic sites within the state. Bedford is an affluent community that prides itself on the beauty of the town land, the safety of its residents, and is rich in history, natural resources, educational excellence and economic diversity.

Transportation

Bedford is located slightly northwest of the intersection of I-95 (also known as MA-128) and MA-4/MA-225 (which actually cross in Lexington). Important roadways through town include US-3 and MA-62. It is serviced by the 62 and 62/76 lines of the MBTA's bus service. Bedford is also served by Hanscom Field, a civilian airport, which is located adjacent to Hanscom Air Force Base.

Town Government

The town still uses an open town meeting as its legislature. The executive branch consists of a Board of Selectmen who oversee a town Administrator.

Bedford is the home of a Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP). It is part of an initiative by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide mail order prescriptions to veterans using computerization at strategic locations throughout the United States.

Points of Interest

The Bedford Flag
"By the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April's breeze unfurled - here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot hear round the world." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Bedford flag on display at the Bedford Free Public Library is the oldest known surviving intact Battle flag in the United States. It is celebrated for having been the first U.S. flag flown during the American Revolutionary War, as it is believed to have been carried by Nathaniel Page's outfit of Minutemen to the Old North Bridge in Concord for the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775.

The Latin motto on the flag, "Vince Aut Morire", means "Conquer or Die."

The Two Brothers
When Governor Winthrop and his Deputy Thomas Dudley viewed their lands in early 1638, they decided to use two great stones on the site to divide the property. Winthrop claimed the land to one side of one rock; Dudley claimed the land on the other side of the other rock. They named the rocks "The Two Brothers." Over the years, the two men had many differences; however they learned to work together and even considered themselves "brothers" by their children's marriage. The rocks have come to symbolize the men's sprit of cooperation and democracy. The two brothers can still be seen near the banks of the Concord River in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
The early settlers called this area along the Concord River, "Great River Meadow" because they could harvest hay along the grass banks when the water retreated each summer. Today, this 12 mile stretch of freshwater wetlands is a sanctuary for migratory birds and wildlife. There are deer, cottontail rabbit, fox, raccoon, muskrat, beaver, weasel and over 200 species of birds seen here.

Job Lane House
This traditional saltbox-style home was built by Job Lane at about the time of his marriage to Martha Ruggles in 1713 and is one of the few surviving Bedford houses built before the town was incorporated in 1729. Now the property of the Town of Bedford, it is run as a house museum with tours given by the Friends of the Job Lane House from 2-4 PM on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, May through October. See www.joblane.org for details.

Fitch Tavern
Early on the morning of April 19, 1775, an alarm sounded warning the people of Bedford that British soldiers were marching from Boston to Concord. Their captain, Jonathan Wilson, told them, "It is a cold breakfast boys, but we'll give them a hot dinner." The Fitch Tavern is located in Bedford center, a little over a mile from Huckins Farm.

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