Changing of the Guard at the Bedford Historical Society

By JOYCE CORRIGAN

Liz Hallock is in the house! It takes the newly appointed executive director of the Bedford Historical Society exactly 10 seconds to walk from her office in the 1838 charm-personified Bedford Store to her interview with The Recorder at the industrial-chic-personified oHHo: The Old Firehouse.

Judging from the half dozen well-wishers who abandon their matcha lattes to greet her, Hallock already knows everyone in town. (Extra credit for being director of admissions at Rippowam Cisqua for seven years).

With the July opening of oHHo, the village’s buzzy wellness shop/café selling Taschen coffee-table books, luxury totes, bespoke pizza and all things CBD, Bedford seems to have made a quantum leap from quaint historical district to hipster destination. In fact, the “reno” of the three-block district has been unfolding for two years, with the opening of Duchess selling responsibly-sourced beauty products, Rivay, a high-end menswear boutique, New York Stoneware offering hand-thrown pottery, and Sotheby’s Real Estate. Mast Market, an organic market and café — another prestigious Manhattan transfer — is opening any minute on Court Road.

Hallock, a resident for 18 years who married a Bedford native and raised three children here, sees Bedford’s landmarks coexisting with the newly arrived luxury not as a clash of civilizations, but as a move closer to the sweet spot.

“Preservation doesn’t mean leaving things alone,” she said. “There’s room for newcomers as well as beloved standbys like Jewel Corner, Village Green Deli, and, of course, our heritage structures. The society’s goal is to help maintain Bedford’s functionality and character. Any healthy historic town has to have a balance between conservation and innovation. I hope to help marry the two.”

History certainly had a distinct swagger at the sold-out Bedford Oak Party held Saturday night, Sept. 28, against the backdrop of the venerable 500-year-old white oak, illuminated in all its leafy finery. Three hundred guests gathered to honor retired Executive Director Lynn Ryan and to raise funds for Properties Preservation. The infectiously high-energy Atomic Funk Band kept everyone rocking until almost midnight, while camera-ready appetizers, a raw bar and carving station from Portage provided fuel. And nothing like a sing-a-long for community bonding (“Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” Ya think?)

“After 500 years the Bedford Oak is finally invited to the party!” laughed Hallock.

Considered by many to be Bedford’s “most venerable citizen,” the 130-foot-wide Quercus alba has been under the protection of the BHS since 1977, when 30 acres of land bordering the tree were sold to a developer. The BHS and a handful of locals purchased 2 acres to give the tree breathing space and lifetime security.

The 10 historic properties the BHS curates include the 1787 Court House, Westchester’s oldest government building, where not only Aaron Burr argued cases but William Jay, son of the Supreme Court of the United States first chief justice, John Jay, sat on the bench; 1806 Historical Hall, moved to its present site in 1837 by 20 yoke of oxen, and now the  site of the beloved annual Bedford Antiques Show; and the Bedford Free Library, built in 1807 as Bedford Academy, which educated, among others, John Jay II, grandson of the first chief justice, William H. Vanderbilt of railroad fame and John McCloskey, the first American-born cardinal.

Founded in 1916, today’s BHS is unrecognizable from the organization that Ryan joined 28 years ago.

“We wrote membership renewal letters on an IBM Selectric typewriter,” Ryan recalled. “No more sleepy historical society on the second floor of the Lounsbery Building. We became an active organization solidifying Bedford Village as a vibrant center with diverse dining and shops, and have consistently supported historic buildings being adaptively reused to meet the community’s needs.”

The BHS works with both the department of public works and the Bedford Village Business Association on maintenance and retail assistance.

Currently the BHS leases the 1857 Jackson House to luxury brand Brittany Bromley Interiors, while the iconic 1906 Greek Revival Lounsbery building has housed The Horse Connection, a mecca to local equestrians since 1972.

Not only is the BHS proactive in the curation of the village’s antique buildings, they protect 165 acres with four historic conservation easements, exhibit artifacts at two museums, and run programs about Bedford’s  pivotal role in American history. Crowd favorites include reenactments of the 1779 Burning of Bedford on the Village Green and historic trial recreations in the courthouse.

Restoration of historic buildings is not for the faint-hearted. Consider replacing 200-year-old pillars or an original cedar roof which requires craftsmen skilled in historic preservation. After decades of wear and tear, there are spent sump pumps and entire electrical systems.

“The village’s glorious antique structures are all made of wood,” Hallock said. “With major storms and intense water runoff, they take a beating.”

Ryan remembers some close calls.

“In 2010, we planned to simply replace the floorboards in Historical Hall for which we budgeted about $17,000,” she said. “We had issues with moisture from the basement crawlspace, so we removed the floorboards only to discover the columns weren’t fully supported. One sill was completely rotted and almost all of the original chestnut beams that held the floor had deteriorated.” The total fix turned into a $100,000 project.

While dozens of Hudson Valley communities boast beautifully restored historic districts, few, if any, can match Bedford’s resilience. Town historian John Stockbridge chalks it up to Bedford’s beginnings: a literal baptism by fire.

“The British burning Bedford practically to the ground during the Revolution caused us to really solidify our historic character,” he said. “It preempted not only the recreation of the town but its prominence in Westchester.”

Stockbridge encourages everyone to take the BHS historic house tours.

“There’s too much great history to miss —  not to mention the always accessible Village Green and Old Burying Ground that take us back to our founding in 1680.”

If Hallock is considered the Bedford Historical Society’s “next-gen” model, her key asset in growing the organization is knowing how to appeal to the next generation of young families. Hallock smiles when it’s pointed out that transitioning from a decade at an elementary school to a preservation society means she’s gone from overseeing Bedford’s infancy to its antiquity.

“What I always see are families that want a wonderful place to live with good schools and a beautiful, vital town,” she said. “Once they learn about Bedford’s rich legacy, they’ll always want to preserve it.”

Of course, the real challenge is never just the parents.

“Young people are tough customers,” she laughed. “You have to be that much more creative to hold their attention. If, after some historic reenactment or exhibition at the museum, I hear one child say to another ‘Wow, that was cool!’ Well, that’s a big win for us.” And for Bedford.