Online Collection Database | Fort Bedford Museum

Digital Archive Portal

Dive Into Our Digital Collection

The link below will take you to our new PastPerfect Online Collection Database, which provides access to the museum’s artifact collection for anyone conducting research or exploring local history.

This digital catalog is actively being updated, and new artifact descriptions and photographs are added regularly. We invite you to browse the collection as it continues to grow and offer deeper insight into the museum’s holdings.

Launch PastPerfect Database Publicly Accessible Catalog

Official PastPerfect Catalog Link: https://fortbedfordmuseum.pastperfectonline.com/

Featured Artifact Showcase

Browse Selected Collection Highlights

Filter by historical category or type a keyword to explore key relics from our database.

6 Artifacts Displayed

Catalog Version 2026.1

Historic Relic • 1758

The Fort Bedford Flag

The only original 1758 Fort Bedford British military ensign known to exist. Preserved across generations by regional families and framed for archival protection.

ACC: FBM-1758-001

Military & Craft • 18th Century

Frontier Forge & Bellows

Scale model of a pre-Revolutionary frontier blacksmith steel forge and bellows, commemorating pioneer gunsmith and trader John Fraser.

ACC: FBM-1754-019

Frontier Life • 19th-20th C.

1907 U.S. Mail Sleigh

Original winter postal runner sleigh used throughout Bedford County mountain routes, surrounded by 19th-century master carpenter and cooperage tools.

ACC: FBM-1907-042

Indigenous Artifacts • Pre-Contact to 1700s

Woodland Lithic Assemblage

Mounted archaeological points, chert arrowheads, and stone hunting tools excavated across the Juniata River basin and Raystown valleys.

ACC: FBM-ARCH-088

Scale Model • Architectural

Fort Bedford Scale Replica

Detailed three-dimensional model crafted by Dr. Ronald Markwood, documenting the 1758 five-bastioned star-shaped fort fortification.

ACC: FBM-MOD-003

Frontier Relic • Late 18th Century

"Indian Eve" Deer-Skin Trunk

The original deer-skin covered trunk used by frontier pioneer Eve Ernst during her remarkable journey back to Bedford County after years of captivity.

ACC: FBM-1777-012

Behind The Database

Why are legacy photos in the Museum's records?

When the Bedford Heritage Trust took over the collection on behalf of the borough back in 2013, most of the inventory was the written word only.

The 2005 Paper Inventory & Thumbnails

We were fortunate that one former curator of the museum, Larry Yantz, had completed a paper inventory around 2005 that included "thumbnail" size photographs. Two years ago, we integrated these historical photos into our database as our baseline digital catalog.

Our Goal: A Photo for EVERY Artifact

As part of making our collection available online, we have undertaken to make sure there is a photo of EVERY artifact in the inventory. When we started this effort, there were more than 2,000 artifacts lacking ANY photo, and we are actively pursuing photographing them first.

2005 Thumbnail Record

Larry Yantz Paper Index

Modern Digital Re-Photography in Progress

Need a Higher Resolution Photograph?

Note: If you encounter an artifact photo that looks like a legacy thumbnail in the database and desire a better photo, please contact the museum via the "Send Us Feedback" feature on the search results page or email our curatorial staff.

We will prioritize taking a new high-resolution photo, adding it to our live database, and sending you a digital copy for your research.

Research & Archival Services

Need Access to the Full 5,000+ Object Archive?

Our curatorial team is actively digitizing additional items from our collection vault. Scholars, historians, and genealogists can request high-resolution photographs, provenance files, or in-person examination appointments.

Open PastPerfect Database Genealogy & Archives Contact Curatorial Staff

Preserving Frontier Heritage

Managed and protected under the care of the Bedford Heritage Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.