Library – 1807
32 Village Green
This was originally the Bedford Academy, one of Westchester’s first
classical schools from June 6, 1809 when it opened until 1902.
Many well known men received their schooling here, including
the first United States Cardinal, John McCloskey; John Jay II,
grandson of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States;
and William H. Vanderbilt of railroad fame. In 1903, after
the Academy closed, Miss Eloise P. Luquer began a Library in
one room of the building; it has been the home of the Bedford Free
Library ever since. The Corporation of Bedford Academy donated the
building to the Historical Society in 1972 to continue its preservation.
The Bedford Free Library is responsible for the building’s maintenance
and leases it from the Society for $1 per year.