On 16 December 1773 a group of residents of the city of Boston objected to the arrival of three ships bearing boxes of tea which the East Indian Company planned to sell in the American Colonies in order to stave off bankruptcy. Dressing as Amerindians, the colonists boarded the ships in Boston Harbor, broke open the chests of tea and emptied it all into the harbor. The event became known as the Boston Tea Party. On Saturday, 16 December 2023 a group of residents of the borough of Bedford, Pennsylvania commemorated the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party by holding their own Bedford Tea Party. The Bedford Tea Party was attended by about sixteen persons consisting of members of the Board of the Friends of the Fortified Bedford House and employees of the Peppercorn Market and their guests. Benson Lossing's narrative of the Boston Tea Party was read and the participants were quizzed about the Fortified Bedford House. And then, as shown in the photo below, everyone filled themselves with food and drink.
A letter written on 24 June 1758, the day before the construction of Fort Bedford began, by the young Sergeant, John Hains was offered to Larry Smith by the owners, Mark and Sally Haines. Believing that the letter was too important for any single individual to own, Larry suggested that the letter be donated to the non-profit Friends of the Fortified Bedford House. The Haines couple made a trip from their home in Henderson, North Carolina to present the letter to the Friends of group in a ceremony held on Thursday the 5th October. In the photo below, the participants in the ceremony were, front row from left: Mark Haines, Sally Haines, Larry Smith, Bonnie Haga, Kevin Kutz and Rev. Jack Miller; and back row from left: Tyna Walker-Lay, Roberta Miller and Adam Osman. 
The chimney repair continues. On the 16th of September, the chimney liner was hoisted by a crane and then inserted into the chimney. And then it was ready for the fireplace to be repaired.
A project identified as a necessary major restoration is the repair of the fireplaces and chimney at the east wall of the sacred space. A new liner in the chimney will permit the fireplaces (in the sacred space and the floor above) to be functional again. The project got underway on 31 August.
In the photo above, the chimney seen to the right of the one being worked on serves the fireplace occupying the east wall of the 1758 half-timber structure. During August 2023, Kevin Kutz and his assistant, Morgan Young, painted a mural on a cinder block wall outside of the sacred space. The wall being painted is the north wall of a recent cinder block extension of the east end of the south storefront structure built circa the 1820's and 30's. The door in the south wall of the log section, known as the 'sacred space' opens out to an approximately two feet wide walkway between the two structures. Local Bedford County artist, Kevin Kutz was commissioned to paint the outside wall to provide an image to be seen through the glass panes of the door by visitors to the sacred space. His inspiration was to reproduce the wall of the sacred space complete with a trompe l'oeil door and wall covered in the wallpaper that would have covered that south wall during the 1800's.
On Saturday, 20 May 2023, an Open House was held in the sacred space, the log section attached to the east end of the 1758 half-timber structure. Tyna and Larry were dressed in their colonial outfits to greet visitors and tell the about the structure and some of the historical events and people associated with it.
QR Codes, in the form of large 8-inch square prints, have been placed in the windows of the Peppercorn Market. People walking on the sidewalk along Juliana Street can now use their smart phones to identify the four QR Codes which will access webpages devoted to the history of the structure. It is hoped that people who might not otherwise be motivated to venture into the shop, will be intrigued to check out the building's history.
The first Nachtliches Treffen (that is to say Night Gathering) to be held in the Sacred Space was held on the evening of 17 December 2022. The event was held on the 137th Anniversary of the eve of the Rising Sun Tavern fire. Invited guests included employees of Peppercorn Market, individuals involved in the reconstruction of the Fortified Bedford House (such as Adam Osman and Larry Smith) and friends of Patrick and Tyna Lay.
The incorporation of the Friends of the Fortified Bedford House was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of State on 15 October 2022. The application for incorporation of the Friends of the Fortified Bedford House was submitted to Attorney Nathan Karn (Evey Black Attorneys, LLC) on 12 October 2022. With the merging of the storefronts at 111 and 113 S. Juliana Street, Bedford Borough and renovations completed, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in the evening of 21 September 2022 to celebrate the re-opening of Peppercorn Market. Twenty-some invited guests celebrated with Patrick and Tyna.
The golden hues of the new Peppercorn Market reminds one of the 'Rising Sun'.
