The first settlers arrived in the Bradford area in 1848. With an abundant water supply and plenty of standing timber, the town grew. A flourmill was built and added to the list of businesses in the town. By 1856, Bradford had a population of 500 and had become the Chickasaw County seat. A church was built by a group of parishioners who grew tired of meeting in their homes.
A railroad was built through the area, but it did not go through Bradford. Soon, some of the businesses moved to Nashua where the railroad was located. The flourmill moved to New Hampton to be on a bigger river. The town of Bradford had started its downward spiral into oblivion.
Today, there is only one building left standing where the town of Bradford was once located. Many years ago, a young man came to Bradford to meet his future wife. He saw an empty meadow surrounded by trees, and it inspired him to write a song when he returned to the East Coast. He put the song “Church in the Wildwood” in a drawer and forgot about it. A few years later, he and his wife returned to Bradford. He had taken a job as the music teacher at the Bradford Academy. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that a church had been built in that wooded meadow. He dug out the song, taught it to his music class, and they sang it at the dedication service of the church. The church had been built after his previous visit, and it had been painted brown without knowing about the song. The church still holds services each Sunday and has many visitors. The only building left from the ghost town of Bradford is The Little Brown Church in the Vale.
See other nearby Waymarks at this location for more information.
Do not confuse this ghost town of Bradford, in Chickasaw County, with the current town of Bradford, located 60 miles SW in Franklin County.