BradfordCLOSEUP -click here- Elected Officials Government Museums Schools Festivals Parks Demographics It was the coming of the railroad that brought Bradford into existence. And it was the railroad that made it, for a time, one of the biggest boom towns in the Miami Valley. Bradford wasn't incorporated until 1872, but its story really goes back to 1849 when the Columbus, Piqua and Indiana Railroad went into business. Before long, other railroads were going through the Bradford area, and the village became an important railroad center. It grew directly on the county line, so that today half of the village is located in Miami County and half of it is in Darke County. Bradford apparently was named for Tom Bradford, who appropriately enough was a railway postal clerk. As the railroad fell on hard times, the village was forced to adjust. The trains have stopped rolling through Bradford, but they'll always be a big part of the city's image -- even today, Bradford School District's nickname is the "Railroaders." Bradford's other well-known identification is with pumpkins. The Bradford Pumpkin Show for years has featured parades, pumpkins and confetti in an annual autumn celebration.