Bedford and Bedford Township (Images of America)

Bedford Township, labeled “a most excellent township” by surveyors of the Western Reserve lands, had an abundance of hardwood forests, water for mill sites, and superb farmland. Transportation played a major role in its success when Bedford developed as a stagecoach stop along the trade route between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. When the railroad arrived, the township and the village at the center thrived. Industry giants include McMyler Interstate, the builder of the largest crane in the world, Taylor Chair Company, a chair maker since 1813, and Ben Venue Laboratories, a pioneer in the production of penicillin and pharmaceutical freeze drying. Notable residents include Archibald Willard, the painter of the Spirit of ‘76, Dr. Theodatus Garlick, a pioneer in plastic surgery and developer of artificial fish propagation, and Elmer Flick, a Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. A bit of luck and hard work from good people have made this area a most excellent township and a good place to call home.