Bedford dates to 1750, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 58% of U.S. towns · #109 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Most of Bedford was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Its Register listings are the Bedford Town Hall and the Bedford Presbyterian Church. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Bedford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bedford is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #109 of 126 in New Hampshire. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bedford’s overall grade.
New Hampshire towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Hampshire town has 9.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bedford’s 0.8 sits below most of its state (17% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1750.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Bedford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1733, the Province of Massachusetts Bay established Bedford as "Narragansett, No. 5" for the benefit of soldiers who fought against the Narragansett people in Rhode Island. The area was also known as "Souhegan East". The settlement was incorporated as "Bedford" in 1750, and was named for John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford. Lord Russell, a close friend of Governor Benning Wentworth, was the Secretary of State for the Southern Department from 1748 to 1751, and his first wife, Diana Spencer, was cousin of the influential Duke of Marlborough.
Passages that mention Bedford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737, being statistics compiled on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, May 15, 19001903 · page 106Read the page →
Read the text
the incorporated territory extended only to a line drawn east and west through a "point three miles north of the bridge over the Souhegan river at John Chamberlain's house." The strip between the Souhegan river and the south fine of Bedford, when Bedford was Souhegan East, was added to the town of Merrimack, apparently without opposition from the town of Bedford, although the settlers of what was then the town of Bedford seem to have expended some money in building a road and a bridge on this territory. This strip
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737, being statistics compiled on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, May 15, 19001903 · page 533Read the page →
Read the text
1802 — In the warrant for the meeting of March 3, there was an article " To take the minds of the qualified voters relating to a petition signed by some of the inhabitants of the town of Bedford with others, praying that a part of the town of Bedford, with a part of the towns of Amherst, New Boston and Goffstown, be set off into a separate town," but it was voted that the prayer of petition be not granted. From this it would appear that a renewal of the desire on the part of the West Parish to be set off from Bedford had sprung up.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bedford, New-Hampshire1851 · page 238Read the page →
Read the text
roof. Its proximity to the growing city of Manchester, with which it is connected by the granite bridge, built in 1840 by an incorporated company, and made free by a vote of the town of Bedford and city of Manchester in 1848, renders it a desirable resort and pleasant retreat from the busy din of that city of spindles, and will afford some of the most pleasant country residences in the vicinity. The New Hampshire Central Railroad, intended to connect the Ver-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Bedford, New-Hampshire, being statistics, comp. on the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town1851 · page 238Read the page →
Read the text
roof. Its proximity to the growing city of Manchester, with which it is connected by the granite bridge, built in 1840 by an incorporated company, and made free by a vote of the town of Bedford and city of Manchester in 1848, renders it a desirable resort and pleasant retreat from the busy din of that city of spindles, and will arTord some of the most pleasant country residences in the vicinity. The New Hampshire Central Railroad, intended to connect the Ver-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Bedford, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1750, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bedford’s post office opened in 1819, and the first U.S. census counted 898 people here in 1790.
How does Bedford rank for history?
Bedford is more historic than 58% of U.S. towns, #109 of 126 in New Hampshire. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Bedford?
Two places: the Bedford Town Hall (listed 1984) and the Bedford Presbyterian Church (2007).
How old are the homes in Bedford?
5% of Bedford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1990.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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