Old Bedford Village In Bedford, Pennsylvania: Travel Review

The Old Bedford Village is located at 220 Sawblade Rd. Bedford, PA. This is a unique place to see how early Americans lived in the 18th and early 19th centuries. With buildings built out of hand-hewn logs and people dressed in period clothing, the Village is a wonderful place to take your family for a bit of living history.

Many of the buildings house artisans who are actively making the utensils and other equipment or personal items that were needed in those earlier times. Items are made as you watch and include everything from articles made out of tin and leather to hand-dipped candles. Cookies were also being made.

At Old Bedford Village, these skills are demonstrated in a genuine hands-on method by people who are often descendants of the original settlers. Some of the crafts we watched demonstrated were on how to make wooden barrels (coopering), how things were quilted, candles being made by dipping strings spaced on a wooden bar into a vat of tallow, blacksmithing, weaving and spinning, and basket making. Many of the products you see being made can be purchased at the Village Craft Shop.

Old Bedford Village also offers classes for the individual and for groups so you can actually make something yourself. Some of the ones we tried were making things out of tin and weaving a basket. Other classes that we plan to try will include coopering, making a papoose doll out of maize corn, and making a real broom by hand. Other classes are available such as Wheat Weaving, Spinning, Weaving, Quilting, and Leather Working. In each class, people learn about the history of that particular craft or trade. For instance, in the Basket-Making class, we learned the history of baskets and then made a basket of our own, and which now sits on my mantle filled with hand-made candles. There is an additional charge for each class.

There are also demonstrations on how school was conducted in the early American schools and information about Native American culture. Other activities including guided tours and buggy and pony rides are available at an additional cost.

Vehicles are not allowed into the town itself, so there is a great deal of walking. There are many different things to see and I enjoyed putting my husband in the stocks, a device used to punish a person for doing something wrong. However, the tavern was used quite often to sit and rest while having a snack and something to drink.

Field trips are offered for schools to bring students during the school year. Three of my children have been to the Village for a field trip day, and we have gone for special events at Halloween and Christmas. The field trip program typically runs from end of April to the middle of November and costs approximately $7.00 per student. (Call for details)

You can rent some of the buildings for special events. The Tavern, the Welcome Center, and the Old Bedford Church are available. The Village Craft Store is filled with all types of handmade and reproduction items.

Rates are currently $10.00 for adults, $5.00 for students age 6 through college (with identification), and children under six are free. There are also discounts for senior citizens, AAA, and Groups.

You can contact the Old Bedford Village by calling them at 814-623-1156 or 800-238-4347. They may also be emailed at village@pennswoods.net. Their normal hours of operations are from Memorial Day through Labor Day and they are open 9 am to 5 pm, but closed on Wednesdays. After Labor Day, they are open through the end of October and are open Thursday through Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. Visit their website at http://www.oldbedfordvillage.com to see what special events they have scheduled.