BEDFORD - Old Bedford Village has gained national attention after sharing on Facebook that six of its historic guns were stolen.
David Petit is the groundskeeper and a blacksmith at the village. He said sometime after midnight Dec. 14, someone broke into multiple historic buildings, including the General Store and the Rifle House.
"We've lost a piece of Bedford County history," Petit said.
Nothing was reported missing from the other buildings -- only the six rifles that were stored in a glass case for display.
The village was built in 1976 as a living history museum depicting Central Pennsylvania life from 1750 to 1900, according to their Facebook page.
Petit said he was the first one to notice something was wrong, "When I first walked upon the building, there was a white splotch on the front door. That was a fire extinguisher that they used to sort of cover up evidence. When I opened the door the whole building was coated with fire extinguisher dust, and the case the glass was removed and the guns were gone."
That dust can still be seen with footprints, but when he and police arrived, it was completely smooth, covering up any trace of who had been there. Petit said that whoever it was broke through a barred gate behind the wooden door, and took the lock with them.
The glass plate that covered the guns now sits on the floor of the wooden building.
"Two of them that I know of were reproductions. The rest were original Bedford County guns that were built here," Petit said.
The guns were built sometime in the early 1800s, and are not easily replaced.
"The guns were rare to begin with, and there were only so many makers of the guns in the county. It was a design
specifically to this county," Petit said.
Village staff posted pictures of the guns on their Facebook page that, according to Facebook statistics, has nearly half a million views and over 10,000 shares.
The post has circulated in several states all over the United States.
Charley Millers, a commenter on the post, wrote, "Shared in Maryland. Your post is making its way through the gun community. I'm hoping your artifacts are found."
The staff and donors have raised a $1,000 reward for anyone who helps police find who stole the guns.
Petit said the village will accept donations for both the reward, and for renovations and repairs to the Rifle House.
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