Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – The ‘Welcome to Bedford’ sign that has been greeting visitors on Ind. 37 to the Limestone Capital of the World since the 1970s is back and better than ever.
The new sign was mounted on the derrick Thursday morning, marking the near completion of a project undertaken by the city of Bedford to refurbish the derrick and sign.
Over the past year, the derrick was sandblasted and repainted, it was reinforced with new cables and a new concrete base was poured. The new sign – black with white lettering – has a metal frame and aluminum panels, ensuring it will last for years to come.
On the south side it greets motorists with “Welcome to Bedford” and on the north side, “Thank you for visiting Bedford.”
“I’m very pleased we’re at this stage,” said Bedford Mayor Sam Craig. “It’s not completely finished. We plan to get some lights on it so that it’s lit up after dark, which will give it much more visibility.”
In 2023, the city was awarded $100,000 in Regional Economic Acceleration Development Initiative funds to refurbish the sign and update and install the Land of Limestone exhibit in StoneGate Arts & Education Center. The Land of Limestone was completed in 2024. The READI funds were a matching grant.
The derrick, which had been used in a Lawrence County stone quarry, and welcome sign were first erected in 1978. Weather and time had taken their toll on the sign and Craig made it one of his goals as mayor to give the local landmark a much needed facelift.
“The sign is important to the community and the derrick is something that shows we’re the Limestone Capital of the World,” he said. “The sign speaks to the city of Bedford that we want visitors to know they’re welcome here and when they leave it says thanks for visiting Bedford.”
Craig added the sign was constructed so that in the future, should it need repaired, it can be taken down without a lot of difficulty.
The following companies worked on the project:
- E&H Bridge Co.
- Johnny’s Signs
- Gary Earl Welding
- Infinity Solutions
- Needmore Powder Coating LLC