History:
The county seat of Trimble County, Bedford is located at the junction of U.S. 42 and U.S. 421. The first settler was Richard Bell, who constructed a house around 1805 on a hill above Bedford Springs. The town established at this location on February 16, 1816, and incorporated on March 5, 1850, was named for Bedford, Virginia, Bell's former home. The first Trimble County courthouse was erected in Bedford in 1837 and was replaced in 1884.

Bedford grew slowly during the nineteenth century. The population began a marked decline in the post-Civil War era; in the 1870s, the population was approximately two hundred. The community did have some industrial development, however, in the form of a wool carding factory and a steam-powered gristmill. The industrial base of Bedford remained small throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The manufacture of plastics is one of the primary industries.

One of the popular spas of nineteenth century Kentucky was Bedford Springs, where many southerners came to sample the waters and escape the heat of the summer months. The historic resort building was destroyed by fire in 1967. Fire had destroyed another Bedford landmark on March 5, 1952, gutting the Trimble County courthouse. Most of the county records were saved by local volunteers and firemen from neighboring Carrollton. The historic structure was rebuilt using the original walls of the remaining first floor.