Bedford Reunion

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Bedford Reunion, out there in Tarrant County. Now, picture this. It's the 1870s, and a group of settlers from Bedford County, Tennessee, have come a long way to put down roots in this corner of Texas.

They brought their names, their faith, and their habits with them — and one man, Weldon Wiles Bobo, got right to work opening a store and a grist mill. Meanwhile, several families banded together to establish New Hope Church in 1874, and because a church building sitting empty on weekdays is a terrible waste, they used it as a school too. Things moved fast after that.

The post office opened in 1877. Then, in 1882, residents established Bedford College — a private college that also served as a public community school. Prestigious, the marker calls it, and it earned that word.

Graduates went on to become leaders in many fields. The college held its very first term right there at New Hope Church, which by that point had already seen some history. Many of the church's own founders became college trustees — Bobo among them, alongside Milton Moore, Benjamin J.

Valentine, and Richard T. Valentine. For a while, Bedford College was the kind of institution that a community builds its identity around.

The kind of place people point to with pride. And then — 1894. The school burned.

And it never reopened. Just like that, twelve years of promise, gone. Now, you might think that's where the story ends.

A community loses its school, loses its center, and slowly loses itself. But here's the thing about people who haul themselves from Tennessee to Texas and build something from nothing — they don't let go easy. Fast-forward to 1912.

The church had grown and was known by then as Bedford Church of Christ. And on those grounds, approximately five hundred people gathered. M.H.

Moore and Lee M. Hammond organized the occasion — the first Bedford Reunion. They filled that day with sermons, music, food, and reminiscing.

Five hundred people, remembering together. That first gathering became an annual event, and the crowds swelled into the thousands. By 1915, participants had built a tabernacle to hold them all, and that tabernacle stood in use until 1958, when a new church building was erected.

Over those 58 years of reunions, the gathering shifted — it became less about Bedford College specifically and more about the whole sweep of community history. Educators, ministers, public officials — including two congressmen — delivered speeches to those crowds. Area newspapers covered the highlights year after year.

And then, as all things do, the reunions began to wind down. Attendance dwindled. The last one was held in 1969.

But here's how the marker lands it, and I think it's worth sitting with: through the newspaper stories and through the memories of those who attended the later reunions, Bedford's early history is remembered. A school burned in 1894. A reunion ran from 1912 to 1969.

And somehow, the stories outlasted all of it.

What the marker says

Bedford Reunion Settlers from Bedford County, Tennessee, came to this area in the 1870s. Weldon Wiles Bobo opened a store and grist mill, and several families established New Hope Church in 1874, also using the building as a school. The post office opened in 1877, and, in 1882, residents established Bedford College, a private college that also served as a public community school. A prestigious institution, with graduates becoming leaders in many fields, the college held its first term at New Hope Church. Many church founders were also college trustees, including Bobo, Milton Moore, Benjamin J. Valentine and Richard T. Valentine. The school burned in 1894 and never reopened. In 1912, though, approximately 500 people met on the grounds of New Hope Church, which by then was known also as Bedford Church of Christ. There they held the first Bedford reunion, filling the day with sermons, music, food and reminiscing. M.H. Moore and Lee M. Hammond organized the first gathering, and the reunion became an annual event, with crowds in the thousands. Participants built a tabernacle in 1915 and used it until 1958, when a new church building was erected. With dwindling attendance, though, the last reunion was in 1969. During the 58 years of Bedford reunions, which became more about community history than about Bedford College, educators, ministers and public officials, including two congressmen, delivered speeches to the crowds. Area newspapers covered reunion highlights, and through these stories and the memories of those who attended the later reunions, Bedford's early history is remembered. (2002)