Bedford MA

Living in Bedford

Fifteen miles north-west of Boston lies the community of Bedford, Massachusetts. The town of around 15,000 is in Middlesex County and part of the Boston Metro area. Bedford, bordered in part by the Concord River also has the Shawsheen River flowing through the town. The main roadway through town is US-3 and MA-62 and the intersection of MA-128 and MA-4/MA-225 is just a little southwest of Bedford. MBTA bus service is also available. Residents enjoy excellent schools with low student to teacher ratios. Recreational opportunities include river fishing, historically located bike paths and site seeing.

Hanscom Air Force Base is partially located within the boundaries of Bedford with a civilian airport adjacent to the Base. The U.S. Government built Hanscom Air Force Base in 1941 as part of an effort to build civil airports that could also serve for national defense. Fighter squadrons trained at Hanscom during WWII. MIT developed radar sets that were tested there as well. The base has served as a defense-testing center and today is part of the Materiel Systems Group.

Bedford History

Two men named Winthrop and Dudley settled Bedford in the early 1600s. They used two large stones on the Concord River to divide the property between themselves. They named the rocks “The Two Brothers“. They worked their land in a spirit of cooperation and considered themselves brothers. They even have children that married each other solidifying the family ties. The Two Brothers Rocks are still visible along the banks of the Concord River in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

On April 19, 1775, the Minutemen of Bedford carried the first U.S. flag flown during the Revolutionary War in the Battle of Concord. The Bedford Flag, bearing the Latin motto “Conquer or Die” is displayed at The Bedford Free Public Library. This may be the flag about which Emerson wrote: “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 heard 'round the world." Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Interesting Fact

If you're a Nature and Historical site lover, you will want to visit "The Two Brother's Rocks". It is believed that Governor John Winthrop and his Deputy Thomas Dudley used the existing boulders as markers to divide the land they received from the General Court of Massachusetts in 1638. Governor Winthrop claimed the land south of the boulders as his property, and Deputy Dudley's property was located north of the boulders. In the present day, they represent the men's cooperation and democracy in their ability to be fair to one another despite some differences over the course of their time. The boulders can be found in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, near the banks of the Concord River.