Historical Markers
Marker Details
Name: Fort Bedford
Region: Laurel Highlands/Southern Alleghenies
County Location: Bedford
Marker Location: US 30 near site in Bedford
Dedication Date: October 06, 1972
Region: Laurel Highlands/Southern Alleghenies
County Location: Bedford
Marker Location: US 30 near site in Bedford
Dedication Date: October 06, 1972
Marker Text
First known as Raystown and built during the summer of 1758 by the forces of Col. Henry Bouquet, the fort was the rendezvous from which the expedition of Gen. Forbes advanced to occupy Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh). Museum stands on the original site.
First known as Raystown and built during the summer of 1758 by the forces of Col. Henry Bouquet, the fort was the rendezvous from which the expedition of Gen. Forbes advanced to occupy Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh). Museum stands on the original site.
Behind the Marker
General Forbes's army built Fort Bedford in June 1758 as a supply post for his expedition to the Forks of the Ohio. The route of Forbes's army from Carlisle to Raystown (modern Bedford) was relatively easy, thanks to improvements that Pennsylvania militia officer
James Burd had made in 1755. West of Raystown, however, there were no provincial posts to house British troops and the Raystown Traders Path had not been widened for military use.
Fort Bedford became an important communications and supply link for Forbes's army as it moved deeper into the wilderness. Along withFort Ligonier and Fort Pitt, it completed the east-to-west axis of the British army's fortification of western Pennsylvania. It was named for the Duke of Bedford, a member of the Crown's ministry during the Seven Years' War.
Traders, merchants, and farmers attracted to the area by the business and security offered by the fort formed the nucleus of the town of Bedford. During Pontiac's Rebellion, the fort was garrisoned by British regulars and local militia, but did not come under Indian attack.
General Forbes's army built Fort Bedford in June 1758 as a supply post for his expedition to the Forks of the Ohio. The route of Forbes's army from Carlisle to Raystown (modern Bedford) was relatively easy, thanks to improvements that Pennsylvania militia officer
James Burd had made in 1755. West of Raystown, however, there were no provincial posts to house British troops and the Raystown Traders Path had not been widened for military use.Fort Bedford became an important communications and supply link for Forbes's army as it moved deeper into the wilderness. Along with
Fort Ligonier and Fort Pitt, it completed the east-to-west axis of the British army's fortification of western Pennsylvania. It was named for the Duke of Bedford, a member of the Crown's ministry during the Seven Years' War. Traders, merchants, and farmers attracted to the area by the business and security offered by the fort formed the nucleus of the town of Bedford. During Pontiac's Rebellion, the fort was garrisoned by British regulars and local militia, but did not come under Indian attack.
Beyond the Marker
Charles M. Stotz, Outposts of the War for Empire: The French and English in Western
Louis M. Waddell and Bruce D. Bomberger, The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania:
Charles M. Stotz, Outposts of the War for Empire: The French and English in Western
Pennsylvania: Their Armies, Their Forts, Their People, 1749-1764 (Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1985).
Louis M. Waddell and Bruce D. Bomberger, The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania:
Fortification and Struggle During the War for Empire (Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1996).
