Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – A decision 200 years ago changed the course of history and made Bedford the county seat of Lawrence County. This year, Bedford will celebrate its bicentennial as a city. Sarah Turpen, the city’s new community and business development director, will help coordinate the celebration in her new role at Bedford City Hall.
Turpen brings a background of sales and marketing along with years of experience as a community volunteer through her involvement with Bedford Revitalization Inc. and the White River Humane Society. She’s also been a familiar voice to local radio listeners from her time hosting “Talk of the Town.”
Her volunteer time at the WRHS led her to join the shelter’s board of directors and eventually become resource development director in 2024 following a 16-year career at WBIW-WQRK.
“It felt like the right time to make this move,” she said. “I’ve always been a team player. It’s never just one person doing it all. I think this role fits me because I recognize that everything is a collaboration. A strength I think I have is seeing problems and opportunities through multiple lenses.”
She saw many examples of collaboration during her time hosting “Talk of the Town.”
“That allowed me to learn so much about the community,” she said.
Turpen believes it’s important for community members to get involved to help an organization rather than complain about what an organization isn’t doing.
It was interviewing guests from WRHS that led her to become a volunteer there along with her son. Hosting the radio broadcast of the parade prompted her to volunteer with BRI to plan the parade.
She also learned about the work going on in the city of Bedford when Mayor Sam Craig came on the air to provide monthly updates.
Turpen said plans have already begun for the Bedford bicentennial, which will be celebrated this summer.
“Right now we’re focused on bringing the community together and engaging in the event and celebrating what makes our town unique,” she said.
Tentative plans include:
- A bicentennial exhibit at the Lawrence County Museum of History
- Programs at the Bedford Public Library
- Community celebration this summer
- Bedford Parks Department programs
Bedford history timeline
Two centuries ago, leaders in Lawrence County made the decision to move the county seat from Palestine, a town along the White River to what is now Bedford, following a number of residents falling ill, attributed to an outbreak of malaria.
Here’s a brief timeline of events:
January 1825 – After many deaths related to high fever (most agree it was due to malaria) the decision was made by the commissioners to petition the Indiana Legislature to authorize moving the county seat.
March 9, 1825 – The locating commissioners met at Palestine and selected the 200 acres in present-day Bedford for the new county seat. A well was to be constructed and the land on the present-day square was ordered to be cleared.
March 30, 1825 – A survey was conducted under the supervision of County Agent Robert Carlton. Disagreement about the cost of a new courthouse and construction of a permanent courthouse delayed the project until May 1832 with a completion date of May 1834. The 1834 courthouse was constructed using the blueprint from the Salem, Indiana Courthouse. The 1834 courthouse would be in use until the completion of the 1870 courthouse in 1872.
Bedford got its name from a business owner, Joseph Rawlins, who was from Bedford County, Tennessee, and suggested to leaders that they name the new county seat Bedford. Source: The Lawrence County Museum of History