Bedford Conservation Commission Unanimously Votes to Buy 43 Acres on Wallace Road

BEDFORD — August 24, 2021 — Bedford Conservation Commission unanimously authorizes $956,000 conservation fund purchase of 43 historic acres on Wallace Road. The commission voted August 24 to buy two parcels — tax map 3, lots 5 and 4 — from the Marsha A. Marston Revocable Trust at a total price of $1 million, or roughly $23,000 per acre, with the Piscataquag Land Conservancy contributing $44,000 from a dedicated Bedford fund. Planning Director Becky Hebert described the deal as part of a broader 126-acre conservation effort spanning Bedford and Goffstown, with the trust separately donating about 33 additional Bedford acres and 50 Goffstown acres to PLC. The conservation fund held roughly $1,171,000 as of August 1, with an estimated $250,000 more expected before year-end. The land has been in the Marston family since 1777, when forebears Major John Dunlap and his son Robert Dunlap, renowned early American furniture makers, established the homestead. The purchase moves to the Town Council for final authorization at a September 8 public meeting.