It draws it origin from New England's town commons. Bradford's early settlers hailed from New England, and they established the notion of an open meeting place for the town. Bradford's public square was born. The Bradford Landmark Society estimates that a bandstand or gazebo was built as early as the 1 890s. A small wooden structure, it was used for band concerts and public meetings.
Photographs show a pleasant park, with tulips and flowers, and park benches.
Later, a bronze plaque commemorating Bradford soldiers who fought in the Spanish American War was placed on a large boulder in the Square. This plaque is particularly interesting. Today this memorial is located next to the bandstand. In 1909 during Old Home Week, a large boulder from Annin Township was hauled to the southeast corner of the square. It still stands their today.