The Bedford Historical Society is proud to present a free lecture series as well as other events and activities throughout the year.
2026-2027 Programs
September Program:
History Day Awards and “Rails to Trails: How Bedford and Regional Railroad Lines Became Today’s Rail Trails”
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Doors open at 2 PM for a social period and refreshments
2:15 PM – Brief Society announcements followed by the Guest Speaker
Old Town Hall – Great Room (3rd floor)
Retired Lincoln Lab AI researcher Terry Gleason will talk about his passion for bicycling as part of his presentation. Bicycling on the area’s rail trails wasn’t always possible; abandoned railroad beds sat dormant until the State and local communities converted them into walking and biking trails. Gleason will describe the peak of railroad activity in the region, its decline, and the conversion of the abandoned lines into rail trails. His story features interesting twists and turns, with Bedford’s own rail trail history exemplifying those surprising changes.
Gleason’s interest in railroads and rail trails stems from his long-standing concern for the environment and the world his grandchildren will inherit. A 42-year Bedford resident, he curated an exhibit hosted at the Bedford Library in 2008 titled “Bedford Rails and Trails, 150 Years.”
The Society will also honor Bedford High School students who qualified for the 2026 National History Day final
This event is free and open to the public
October Program:
“The Salem Witchcraft Trials: What Really Happened?”
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Doors open at 2 PM for a social period and refreshments
2:15 PM – Brief Society announcements followed by the Guest Speaker
Old Town Hall – Great Room (3rd floor)
The Historical Society’s October program will bring retired State Superior Court Justice Dennis Curran to Bedford to describe what he calls a “great trial that changed history”: the Salem witchcraft trials. Judge Curran will tell “what really happened.”
Justice Curran, who served as a MA trial judge for 15 years and presided over 450 civil and criminal trials, has received four statewide awards for judicial excellence. He has taught law at Tufts University, the Roger Williams School of Law, and in Brown University’s summer program.
He loves history. He was elected a Fellow of the MA Historical Society and appears each year as a guest speaker at History Camp – Boston.
This event is free and open to the public.
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2027: Zoom presentation by former Lexington resident Jane Woolsey Gropp: “An Appeal to Heaven: The relationships between Revolutionary War Leaders and the Black Patriots who Fought for a Freedom Not Yet Theirs.”
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2027: Revolutionary War historian Alexander Cain: “I have Scarcely a Mouthful of Bread for Myself or My Children – The Plight of Loyalists on the Eve of Independence.”
Sunday, March 21, 2027: Historian and author J.L. Bell: “The Lost and Legendary Riders of April 19 th, 1775.”
Sunday, April 25, 2027: Bridgewater State University History Professor Paul Rubinson: “Benjamin Franklin and the Invention of American Science.”
Sunday, May 23, 2027: Bedford’s Town Historian and the Society’s President, Sharon McDonald: “Rev. Samuel Stearns: The Battle for Bedford’s Religious Future.”
This program series is supported in part by a grant from the Bedford Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
