CONTACT:
Deanna L. Bremer
Director of Marketing
Cleveland Restoration Society
Phone: (216) 426-3111
Fax: (216) 426-1975
E-mail: dbremer@clevelandrestoration.org

RESTORATION SOCIETY OFFERS TOUR OF HISTORIC BEDFORD

On Sunday, April 25th, 2004 from 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., the Cleveland Restoration Society & Preservation Resource Center of Northeastern Ohio (CRS/PRC) will hold a self-guided walking tour of historic Bedford, OH, which has been nominated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The tour features visits to the home of town founders Hezekiah and Clarissa Dunham, the home of Washington Gates, Bedford Township Hall, a restored railroad depot, a former 1930s post office, a former Masonic temple, and Bedford’s three founding churches.

Tour tickets are $10 for CRS/PRC members and $20 for non-members. The tour begins at 1:30 p.m. with a brief lecture on the history of Bedford by Janet Caldwell, director of the Bedford Historical Society, in the sanctuary of Bedford Baptist Church, 750 Broadway. For information and registration, call the Society at (216) 426-1000 or e-mail: felicia.hall@clevelandrestoration.org.

The charming town of Bedford grew up around the water power of Tinker’s Creek, a tributary of the Cuyahoga River, and became an important stop along the stage coach route from Cleveland to Pittsburgh and the railroad routes from Akron to Cleveland and Cleveland to Pittsburgh. As rail transportation gave way to the automobile, many auto retailers established themselves along Bedford’s main street, one occupying a prominent position on the public square, and the town quickly became home to one of the largest concentrations of auto retailers in the United States, the Bedford Auto Mile. The town’s many monuments and significant late 19th and early 20th century commercial and public buildings, many of which are listed separately in the National Register of Historic Places, will be open for the afternoon.

The Cleveland Restoration Society/Preservation Resource Center of Northeastern Ohio is the region’s largest non-profit preservation organization and is a Local Partner affiliate of the National Trust. Founded in 1972, the Society is dedicated to the preservation of greater Cleveland’s historic resources.

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