Colonial America
Citizens Petition for a New Road from the Mouth of Pigion Creek to Fort Pitt at Colonial Bedford County, Pennsylvania c. 1771
c. 1771 with January 7, 1772-Dated Colonial Era noted on Docket, Granting this Petition for a New Road, Manuscript Document Signed by (15) Citizen Petitioners, being a Petition for Bedford County, Pennsylvania, Fine.
Bedford County, Pennsylvania was created on March 9th, 1771 from part of Cumberland County, and named in honor of Fort Bedford. Unique original, Manuscript Document Petition Signed, measuring 8.25” x 13”, well written on period laid paper, tone, folds, some paper roughness with wrinkling and minor loss along right edge, affecting some text. It is headed:

“The Petition of the Inhabitants of Bedford County on the Monongahelah (sic) near and about the Horseshoe Bottom --- Humbly Shareth --- Being a petition of various inhabitants of the Province of Pennsylvania for a road to be laid out from ”... the mouth of Legion Creek to James Sterges‘s on the Monongahela River and from thence to joyn (sic) the new road… nearest and best route from Red Stone Settlement to Fort Pitt.” This Petition is signed by 15 citizens at bottom. Docket on the blank reverse is Dated January 7, 1772 showing this request was indeed Granted.

In 1759, after the capture of Fort Duquesne in Allegheny County, on the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, English colonists built a road between the fort (which was renamed as Fort Pitt) to the newly built Fort Bedford in Raystown. The English defeated the French in the war and took over their territories in North America east of the Mississippi River. Treaties with the Indians opened more land for future peaceful settlement. This road followed and improved on ancient Indian trails. In later years it was widened and paved as "Forbes Road" and it is now Route 30. In modern times, when the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built, this interstate toll road became the main highway through Bedford County.
In 1750 Robert MacRay, a Scots-Irish immigrant, opened the first trading post in Raystown (which is now Bedford) on the land that is now Bedford County. The early Anglo-American settlers had a difficult time dealing with raids from Native Americans. In 1754 fierce fighting erupted as Native Americans became allied with the British or French in the North American front, known as the French and Indian War, of the Seven Years' War between those nations in Europe.

In 1759, after the capture of Fort Duquesne in Allegheny County, on the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, English colonists built a road between the fort (which was renamed as Fort Pitt) to the newly built Fort Bedford in Raystown. The English defeated the French in the war and took over their territories in North America east of the Mississippi River. Treaties with the Indians opened more land for future peaceful settlement.

This road followed and improved on ancient Indian trails. In later years it was widened and paved as "Forbes Road"; it is now Route 30. When the Pennsylvania Turnpike was built, this interstate toll road became the main highway through Bedford County.

Bedford County was created on March 9th, 1771 from part of Cumberland County and named in honor of Fort Bedford.

The 1767 Mason-Dixon Line had stabilized the southern border with Maryland. In the aftermath of the American Revolution, the population increased largely due to emigration. Within a lifetime Old Bedford County was greatly reduced from its original boundaries. Huntingdon County was created on 20 September 1787, mainly from the north part of Bedford County, plus an addition of territory on the east (Big Valley, Tuscarora Valley) from Cumberland County. Somerset County was created from part of Bedford County on 17 April 1795.

Centre was created on 13 February 1800 from parts of Huntingdon, Lycoming, Mifflin, and Northumberland counties. Cambria County was created on 26 March 1804 from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset Counties. Blair County was created on 26 February 1846 from parts of Huntingdon and Bedford Counties. Finally Fulton County was created on 19 April 1850 from part of Bedford County, setting the county at its current boundaries.

The land was developed into lush farms with woodlands. It was developed as a trading center on the way to Pittsburgh and farther west of Pennsylvania. In 1794 President George Washington came to the county in response to the Whiskey Rebellion.