Web Design in Bedford, IN

Bedford, Indiana

Bedford is in Lawrence County.

About Bedford, Indiana

Bedford is a city in Shawswick Township and the county seat of Lawrence County, Indiana, and the 2020 census put its population at 13,792, up from 13,413 in 2010. It is the principal city of the Bedford, IN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which takes in all of Lawrence County. The city lies roughly 70 miles south of Indianapolis and 18 miles south of Bloomington, ringed by the quarries that earned it the name Limestone Capital of the World.

History of Bedford

• Bedford was laid out in 1825 as a town and as the county seat of Lawrence County.
• The original county seat stood at Palestine, four miles to the south, and the legislature urged a move because the site near the White River was judged unhealthy on account of malaria spread by mosquitoes.
• The new site took the name Bedford at the suggestion of Joseph Rawlins, a prominent local businessman who had come to the area from Bedford County, Tennessee.

Landmarks and Places in Bedford

• U.S. Highway 50 runs through the heart of the city and links Bedford with Seymour to the east and Vincennes to the west.

The Bedford Economy

• Limestone quarrying defines the local economy, and the light gray stone quarried across south central Indiana is commonly called Bedford limestone or Bedford Oolitic limestone.
• Stone from the Empire Quarry near the city went into the Empire State Building in New York City.
• Bedford area limestone was also used for The Pentagon and for much of the stone in various Washington, D.C. monuments.

Community Life in Bedford

• Bedford North Lawrence High School is known for basketball and golf; the boys' team, captained by Damon Bailey, won the state title in 1990, and the girls' team won state titles in 1983, 1991, 2013, 2014 and 2023.

Local reference: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org