Bloody Run Historical Society

1771 - The Founding of Bedford County
In the early 1770s, settlers living along Pennsylvania’s western frontier faced long, dangerous travel to reach the courts and public offices of Cumberland County. Their petitions for local governance led the Provincial Assembly to act.
On March 9, 1771, Pennsylvania formally created Bedford County, carved from the western portion of Cumberland. The new county stretched across a vast frontier — from the Tuscarora Mountain to the Juniata River, and westward to the edge of the province — encompassing lands that would later form Huntingdon, Somerset, Cambria, Blair, and Fulton Counties.
To establish the county seat at Bedford, the Assembly appointed Arthur St. Clair, Bernard Dougherty, James Coulter, William Proctor, and George Woods. They were charged with purchasing land, erecting a courthouse and jail, and organizing the county’s civic life. Surveyors Robert McCrea, William Miller, and Robert Moore marked the county’s sweeping boundaries.
The first court session convened in Bedford on April 16, 1771, signaling the beginning of formal government in the region. From that moment, Bedford County became the administrative heart of a rugged frontier shaped by military roads, Fort Bedford’s legacy, and the steady push of settlement westward
The creation of Bedford County stands as a turning point in the history of Pennsylvania’s frontier — a moment when community needs, geographic hardship, and colonial governance converged to form the county we know today.
BLOODY RUN HISTORICAL SOCIETY