Caramoor

Bedford

With historic homes, horse farms and country estates, Bedford is a quiet escape into the country. Three distinct hamlets—Bedford Village, Katonah and Bedford Hills—make up the Town of Bedford.

The original 1680 Bedford settlement was in Bedford Village in the southeastern portion of the town, with its village green and historic buildings dating to the 18th and early 19th centuries. Among these are the 1787 Court House and several homes built after the British burned the village during the Revolutionary War.

Katonah encompasses the Bedford Road area, a section of the hamlet designed by landscape architects G.S. and B.S. Olmstead. Noted for its Victorian architecture, Katonah now stands somewhat south of where the original hamlet was located before it was obliged to move in the late 1890’s to make way for the expansion of the New York City watershed when the Muscoot Reservoir was built. Fifty houses were moved to their present sites in the hamlet.

Bedford Hills extends from its bustling business center at the railroad station to farms and estates as it spreads eastward. This hamlet is the site of the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and is also the seat of town government and home to the Town House, built in 1927, and several other buildings where the police department and town offices are located.

Bedford has:

  • Westmoreland Sanctuary: A 625-acre nature preserve with 8 miles of hiking trails, a variety of organized activities and environmental education programs.
  • The Henry Morgenthau Preserve : Set along the shoreline of Blue Heron Lake and includes within its boundaries a portion of the lake, a small island, a number of wetland areas, a small pond, vernal pools and several small streams.
  • Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts:  With its outstanding performances, engaging arts-in-education programming, the extraordinary Rosen House and beautiful grounds, Caramoor is a cornerstone of the cultural life of Westchester County and beyond and is home to internationally acclaimed outdoor music festivals.  Since 1945, visitors have delighted in the exceptional music- from classical to opera to jazz - and the enchanting garden setting that makes Caramoor such a unique and treasured resource.  Llisted on the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Merestead, listed on the National Register of Historic Properties, is the former estate of William Sloane, who was president of W & J Sloane.
  • Katonah Museum of Art
  • John Jay Homestead, retirement home of John Jay, the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, now a state historic site.

For more information about Bedford, visit these sites: