Bedford was settled in 1837, and early residents Hezekiah and Clarissa Dunham donated the land that serves as Bedford Public Square. The Dunhams built one of the area's first homes in 1852, which stands at 729 Broadway with the letters H & D above the doorway. Early settlers were attracted by abundant natural resources and a large waterfall for mill sites. Bedford also served as a stagecoach stop on the route from Cleveland to Pittsburgh along the road called Turnpike Road, originally part of the Mahoning Indian Trail. By 1895, the road was renamed Main Street, and later Broadway, when the Akron, Bedford, and Cleveland Railway Company traversed the middle of the street carrying passengers; the interurban was called America's first high speed long distance electric interurban, with speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. Most of Bedford's commercial block buildings were constructed between 1891 and 1929, and the business district had several car dealerships as automobiles replaced horses, including the Hudson-Essex dealer at 707 Broadway and Chevrolet at 15 North Park Street. Key events in Bedford history include an 1893 fire that destroyed the west side of Main Street and the October 21, 1920, attempted robbery of the Bedford branch of the Cleveland Trust at 686 Broadway by George “Jiggs” Losteiner and his gang. After Bedford citizens were alerted, they engaged the robbers in a twenty-minute gun battle that killed one assailant and wounded several more, and all were captured. Archibald Willard, painter of the Spirit of ’76, and baseball Hall of Fame great Elmer Flick were born in Bedford. Bedford's business district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.