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A Brief French - Indian War Overview

The French-Indian War flared in southwestern PA when France and Great Britain battled for control of one of the most important pieces of real estate in North America. In 1758, General John Forbes built a road capable of moving massive forces and artillery to erradicate the French from their stronghold at Fort Duquesne, now modern day Pittsburgh. The mountains made construction difficult, but the road was completed. The British built forts along the road including Fort Loudoun, Fort Ligonier and Fort Bedford . Fort Bedford was built along the banks of the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River by forces of Colonel Henry Bouquet in the summer of 1758. As the “supply deposit” for 6,790 British troops, Fort Bedford served as the springboard from which the expedition of General John Forbes advanced by struggling stages through the mountain wilderness to the conquest of Fort Duquesne. That decisive conquest helped to determine for all time that English speaking people would control the Ohio Valley and thus, eventually, the American continent.

Strategically located on a bluff over-looking the river, Fort Bedford controlled the river gap and served as a supply area for the vanguard of men advancing over the
Allegheny Mountains. After the war, Fort Bedford stood until the 1770’s and was
used as a refuge from Indian attacks as westward migration increased in the 18th
century. The military road called Forbes Road became the main route west and
parallels much of U.S. Route 30 today.

Fort Bedford stood for little more than a decade, but in that period, it was a rallying point for the western frontier of pre- Revolutionary days. George Washington led the Virginia militia and camped outside the fort in August of 1758. In 1769, James Smith and his “Black Boys” captured the fort. They claimed this to be the first
British fort to fall to colonials years before the Revolution. The village of Bedford, which grew up around the stockade, became the first county seat west of the Tuscarora Mountains. For a time, it was the county seat for all of Western Pennsylvania.

The Fort Bedford Museum was built in 1958 to celebrate the Bi-centennial of Bedford, Pennsylvania. It was constructed near the original site of Fort Bedford and has grown to three rooms of historic objects and a gift shop. A section of the north wall of Fort Bedford was constructed on the original site, adjacent to the museum, in 2006 and is depicted on the cover of this brochure. The museum’s collection began as a display of objects of local historical significance. The collection continues to grow and today the collection has over 2,000 objects. Native American artifacts and civilian and military objects from the eighteenth century to the present tell the human story of life in this area. See a National Treasure, the Fort Bedford Flag from the French and Indian war c. 1758. A Conestoga Wagon, Civil War cannon and limber, Bedford County Rifle, 19th Century women’s clothing, many items of local manufacture, documents signed by the Penn family, a copper disc shot out of the air by Annie Oakley, and a Bedford Springs ledger signed by President Buchanan. There is even a scavenger hunt for the children.
The original flag On display in the museum is the only British Red Fly or Ensign associated with a North American French and Indian War fort to survive the ravages of time. It was “spirited away” from an officer of the King when news of the Declaration of Independence reached Bedford. The flag is of British regimental size, made of damask silk and hand sewn. It is considered a National Treasure.