Some sources place the origin of The Bedford Coffee Pot in the year 1925. Others have the date as two years later. However, all agree that it was constructed by a man named Bert Koontz. Koontz located it on the west end of Bedford, right next door to his gas station. He intended the wood and stucco structure to attract those passing by to stop and spend some money at the gas station or at the lunch stand inside the king-sized kettle. Besides coffee, it also served hamburgers, soda, and ice cream to travelers.

Time drove on, and eventually so did the cars. By the time the 30's were changing to the 40's, a new highway was built, bypassing Bedford and Route 30. The Coffee Pot hung on for quite a while, but changed hands and professions often. In 1937, someone spiked the coffee, and the larger than life pot became home to a bar. It was a regular stop for travelers due to the hotel built behind it and the Greyhound station beside it. Later in its life, it became part of a drive through liquor store and then had another go at being a lunch stand. In the early 1980's it closed its lid and sank further into a state of disrepair.

That's how it sat until the turn of the 21st century, when the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor took note of the building. The LHHC is a group dedicated to saving historic structures like the Coffee Pot. In early 2003, they hired Pittsburgh architect Mike Eversmeyer to estimate the cost of moving the colossal coffee maker across Route 30 and restoring it. Eversmeyer guessed between $80 and $140 grand. Shocked by the cost, the Lashley Family, then owners of the prodigious pot, started to make plans for its demolition. After several months, the LHHC finally convinced the Lashley's to donate the structure to them. By the end of the year, the LHHC moved it across the street to the Bedford County Fairgrounds and prepared it for winter. By June of 2004, restoration was complete and it was ready for its dedication ceremony on August 16, 2004. The Coffee Pot, back to its original color and splendor, is ready for 80 more years of delighting travelers. Now all we need is five hundred pounds of ground coffee and several thousand gallons of hot water.

For more information about The Bedford Coffee Pot, visit the Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor at lhhc.org or call them at 724-238-9030. Located on the Bedford County Fairgrounds, it is outdoors and always accessible, but it is highly recommended you visit it during the day. The Fairgrounds are located on US 30, also know as the Lincoln Highway, just west of downtown Bedford, PA. Traveling west, it is located on the left and is pretty hard to miss. It is, after all, an eighteen-foot tall coffee pot.