Historic Tales of Bedford County, Virginia

Centuries of American Significance

In the mid-1700s, the James River intersection of the Great Western Road and the Great Wagon Road embodied the crossroads of America. Abolitionist and Quaker John Lynch began a ferry service, and in 1754, the area became Bedford County. The county seat in New London welcomed Patrick Henry for his famous ＂Beef! Beef!＂ speech. Thomas Jefferson built a home nearby in 1808 and enrolled his grandson in New London Academy, chartered in 1795 and still in operation. The county has since seen tales of farm life, American music, industry, and heroism. The National D-Day Memorial, dedicated in 2001 by George W. Bush, was placed in the town of Bedford to honor the unequaled sacrifice made on June 6, 1944. Author James Siddons chronicles notable moments and lesser-known sagas in the annals of Bedford County.

James Siddons is a music historian, composer and pianist. This is his third book of Virginia history, the first two being A History of the First United Methodist Church of Lynchburg, Virginia, 1828-1988 (1992) and The Spirit of New London Academy: The Two-Hundred Year History of a Virginia Educational Landmark (1994). James Siddons studied music at the University of North Texas (PhD), the University of London (MA) and Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (ethnomusicology), later returning as a Fulbright senior researcher to study theology and music at Duke University Divinity School.