BEDFORD -- The stomach ailment that plagued British Gen. John Forbes throughout the summer of 1758 had weakened him so much that he was carried into the fort here on a sedan-style litter strung between two horses.

Ever the Brit, Forbes smiled and waved to the settlers who lined the roads to greet him, according to the diary of Anglican military chaplain Thomas Barton. By that September, an army of 6,000 was camped on the banks of the Juniata River, including 800 Virginians led by Col. George Washington.

The stockade, known as Raystown and later named Fort Bedford, had been built by Forbes' capable deputy, Col. Henry Bouquet. It was shaped like an irregular, 400-feet square pentagon. He also oversaw construction of the primitive military road, an arduous task that required hundreds of men wielding pick axes to hack through the dark forest and over Allegheny, Laurel and Chestnut ridges. Col. Bouquet also was responsible for feeding and supplying the fort and drilling inexperienced Colonial soldiers.

By 1763, Fort Bedford's garrison was reduced to 12 men and the frontier had moved to Pittsburgh. By 1775, the fort had fallen into disrepair. Today, visitors can see a reconstructed wall that stands along the Juniata River. Just a few blocks away, inside the Fort Bedford Museum, is a large scale model of the fort and a variety of historical artifacts, including pointed projectiles that Indians used in warfare and reproductions of military uniforms worn during the Forbes campaign. Engineers would delight in seeing the elaborate surveying instruments displayed in the transportation gallery.

If you go: Bedford

Bedford is 100 miles east of Pittsburgh in the Cumberland Valley.

• Fort Bedford Museum: Located on Juliana Street near the Juniata River. Open daily 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. May through October. Admission is $4 for adults, 19 through 64; Students ages 6 through 8 are $1.50 and children under 6 free. Visit fortbedfordmuseum.org.

• Old Bedford Village: Located one mile north of Bedford, this is a collection of 31 logstone and brick homes from the 18th and 19th centuries, including two one-room schoolhouses, a chapel, a blacksmith's shop, a tinsmith, a basket weaver and a general store.

During the summer, the village is open every day 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day, but it's closed on Wednesdays. In the fall, the village is open Thursdays through Sundays in September and October. Admission is $10; students ages 6 to college are $5 with ID; children 6 and under free. Visit: www.oldbedfordvillage.com.

-- Marylynne Pitz

Following Forbes' footsteps

"Pennsylvania's Forbes Trail," a new travel guide and history from Taylor Trade Publishing, focuses on gateway communities across the state through which Gen. John Forbes passed on his 1758 expedition to capture what is now Pittsburgh's Point.

Staff writers Len Barcousky and Marylynne Pitz revisited those communities for a travel series:

• Lancaster
• Carlisle
• Fort Loudoun
• Bedford
• Ligonier
• Pittsburgh

One of the most interesting French and Indian War artifacts is a red silk flag. Fonda Thomsen, a textile conservator in Sharpsburg, Md., preserved the flag, analyzed its fibers and dye and concluded that it was made in the 18th century.

While there is no evidence that the flag ever flew over Fort Bedford, Larry Yantz, a local history teacher and author of seven books on antique firearms, has concluded after five years of research that its chain of ownership was unbroken for 200 years in the Stiffler family. The flag was seized from a British officer after news of America's Declaration of Independence reached the town of Bedford. Known as a "red fly," this type of flag also was used on British ships.

Fort Bedford Museum was built by the borough of Bedford in 1958, and for many years, was like the town's attic, Mr. Yantz said. A new director, Huston Godwin, began a complete inventory last year and has organized and cataloged 5,000 artifacts with the help of Mr. Yantz and James Hostetler, two longtime volunteers. The blockade style structure, built out of logs and chinking, has a main gallery, a transportation room, a rear gallery, mezzanine and gift shop.

This spring, Interpretive Solutions, a museum consultant based in West Chester, Chester County, presented a plan that outlines ways to update the museum's building, which is not insulated, and its exhibits. Bedford Borough owns the museum, which operates on an annual budget of $28,000.

Bedford Borough's council members, Mr. Godwin said, were receptive to the consultant's suggestions, which include de-accessioning certain artifacts, such as pictures that probably belong at the restored Bedford Springs Resort.

At Old Bedford Village, which is one mile north of Bedford, a French and Indian war re-enactment will be held on Aug. 16-17. Established in 1976 by the Bedford County Commissioners as part of the nation's bicentennial, the 72-acre site is on a former farm and has 31 log, stone and brick structures that date from the 18th and 19th century. Among the buildings are a chapel, a blacksmith's forge, a tinsmith, a basket weaver and two one-room schoolhouses, as well as Pendergrass Tavern, where food is served.

Roger Kirwin, the village's executive director, is an enthusiastic re-enactor who hails from Liverpool, England. He noted that no battles took place at Fort Bedford. While the military engagement will last 1 1/2 hours, the re-enactment will re-create military life 250 years ago. Soldiers will bunk in the structures on the property.

In a large field on the grounds, Kirwin is building a military field fortification called a redan, which is built out of huge mounds of earth, spiked logs and raised gun platforms called embrasures through which cannons are fired.

Brian Merick, who lives in Gettysburg and creates explosions for Hollywood movies, will create the explosions for the Aug. 16-17 battles.

During the military engagement, the French and Indian allies will attack the redan while the combined British and provincial forces will defend it.

"It's going to be very visual, Mr. Kirwin said. "You re-create life as it was 250 years ago -- cooking over open fires, sleeping in period tents. I'll have re-enactors living in the log cabins in the village."

To mark the 250th anniverary of the Forbes expedition, a limited edition set of four commemorative coins that feature the artwork of Chas Fagan, an artist who painted Barbara Bush's portrait, is being sold. The coins feature Forbes and Bouquet, who are Bedford's founding fathers, a Native American wearing a scalp lock, an image of the blockhouse that houses Fort Bedford Museum and a cyclist wearing a tricorner hat.

That last image, Mr. Kirwin admits, is anachronistic but salutes the Tour of Pennsylvania, a six-day, 450-mile bicycle stage race from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. The tour stops in Bedford on June 26 and leaves the next day.