This page includes maps showing the townships that were formed within Bedford County during the Colonial and American Revolutionary War periods (i.e. 1754 ~ 1783).
The boundary lines of the townships are estimated; they are not "cartographically" precise. The intention of these maps is to give a basic understanding of the location of the townships.
Townships tended to be formed within counties as they were needed. In other words, as the number of residents increased, the need to divide the township in two also increased. The division lines tended to follow along the summits of mountains or the centers of rivers and creeks. The result was that the new township(s) tended to encompass groupings of residents who resided in a single hollow or valley. Ultimately, the purpose of the formation of a new township out of a larger one was not so much for the benefit of the residents, but rather for the benefit of the tax collectors. They had to travel up and down the valleys to collect the taxes, and smaller geographic regions were easier to manage by the tax collectors.
Ayr Township formed within Cumberland County.
Barree, Bedford, Colerain, Cumberland Valley,
and Dublin Townships formed within Cumberland County.
Brothers Valley Township formed within Cumberland County.
Bethel Township formed out of Ayr Township within Bedford County.
Hopewell Township formed out of Barree Township within Bedford County.
Turkeyfoot Township formed out of Brothers Valley Township within Bedford County.
Frankstown Township formed out of Barree
and Bedford Townships within Bedford County.
Quemahoning Township formed out of Brothers Valley
and Turkeyfoot Townships within Bedford County.
Huntingdon Township formed out of Barree Township within Bedford County.
Shirley Township formed out of Dublin Township within Bedford County.
Milford Township formed out of Turkeyfoot Township within Bedford County.
Providence Township formed out of Colerain Township within Bedford County.
