Local citizens planted an Elm Tree on April 25, 1919 as a memorial to Bedford's WWI War dead. A year later, on July 30, 1920, they placed the bronze plaque.

The original tree died and was removed in September of 2017. Three months later, a new Elm was planted to replace the memorial Elm, just as the citizens in 1920 asked us to do. Notice the bottom of the plaque, "Future generations will perpetuate the memory of our heroes by renewing, ever at this spot, a memorial Elm.