WALKING TOUR: Ever wondered about the history behind many of the older buildings in Bradford?

The Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau announced that it’s designed an 18-page brochure called “A Walking Tour of Bradford’s National Historic District.”

We like the thought of walking Bradford while imagining the way it was in past decades.

The brochure’s text begins in this way: “If you listen carefully, you might be able to hear the steady hammering of nails on a makeshift mercantile, an investor plunking down a gold bar at the Option House as he throws back a shot of whiskey, and oil producers passing out cigars to celebrate a successful deal.”

The brochure has a photo and brief history on each building.

“The brochure features architectural and historical highlights of 25 buildings within Bradford’s National Historic District with a detailed, numbered map of building locations,” according to the bureau.

For example, when Graham’s Florist & Gifts at 9 Kennedy St. first opened as a greenhouse in 1891, George Graham “gave away 3,000 rosebuds, one for each person who came through his impressive doorway” on opening day.

The Bradford Walking Tour brochure is available to visitors free of charge at the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau’s Welcome Center, 80 E. Corydon St., Bradford. A free copy can also be obtained by emailing info@visitANF.com, calling 800-473-9370 or visiting visit@anf.com.

That’s not all.

The bureau has plans to add two outdoor informational kiosks in downtown Bradford, too.

“One kiosk will feature a large map of central downtown Bradford with numbered buildings, historic facts, and nearby attractions,” the bureau states. “The second kiosk will feature a map and information on local trails.”

Visitors will be able to get both the walking tour brochure and the ANF Visitors Bureau Travel Guide at both kiosks. The travel guide has a list of the bureau’s members and the visitor amenities at each.