Bedford County Alms House
Also known as: Bedford County Home
Why it's listed
Built in 1872-73 on a rural tract of about 175 acres in Bedford Township, the almshouse is a four-story brick building with an extended cross plan, a central tower, and two access towers. Its Italianate features include paired ornamental brackets under the roof edges, brick quoins, arched-top six-over-six windows, and wood porches on the east and west towers. The county chose the site for its clay and stone, and brick made on the property was used for much of the building. The almshouse housed the county's poor and indigent from 1873 until it closed in 1978. The nomination regards it as an important example of how Pennsylvania counties provided for the poor, and it is valued for its rural location, its interior plan with central corridors and dormitory wings, and its cluster of outbuildings added as funds permitted, including an infirmary of 1899 and a laundry and boiler plant of 1900.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is primarily significant as an example of county initiatives for caring for the poor and infirm from the later nineteenth to early twentieth century, representative of the regional system of care. Its architecture is considered secondarily significant, representing remote rural siting, functional interior plans, and separation of functions into additional buildings as funds allowed.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88002378, listed November 3, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Cumberland Rd., .4 mi. S of Bedford, Bedford |
|---|---|
| County | Bedford County |
| Listed | November 3, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002378 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1872-1938 |
| Architect / builder | L.M. Simon (architect, Harrisburg, prepared plans and specifications); John Weidlich (contractor, won bid at $46,000) |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Transferred from county ownership to Bedford Rehab Associates in 1986; the form describes the building's later use as a home for the elderly after the poor house closed in 1978. |
| Acreage | 9.7 |
| Coordinates | 39.98711, -78.54210 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88002378.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4879132
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.