Bedford, Indiana

 city, county seat

www.bedfordonline.com

Founded in 1825 as the relocated and second county seat of Lawrence County, Indiana, Bedford was incorporated as a city in 1889 with a population of 2,541. Today, population looms at around 14,000 with 46,097 residents in the county.

The stone industry was the city's largest employer of men and by the turn of the 19th century, 25 cut stone mills operated. By the beginning of the first World War there were 4,000 men employed in the stone industry, thus named the Stone City and was nearly a one-industry town. Some of the most famous buildings constructed with Indiana limestone are the Empire State Building in New York, Tribune Tower in Chicago, and the Pentagon and National Cathedral in Washington DC. Thirty-five of the state capitol buildings are made of Indiana limestone as are a varied number of other famous buildings throughout the country.

Today Bedford is home to over 55 manufacturers with GM Powertrain and Visteon Systems, LLC employing over 2,300, and is known as the Limestone Capital of the World.