Bedford teen restores city’s historic well to honor dad, earn Eagle Scout rank

Reese Hughes often talked to his father about repairing a neglected well in the heart of Bedford which played an important role during the city’s early history.

Reese, 14, is repairing the well near the Silver Dollar Winery at 1937 Bedford Road by replacing a decaying roof and carefully cleaning the stonework for a project to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.

But he is taking that journey without his father there to guide him. Robert Hughes, who was an assistant scout master, died unexpectedly in 2020.

“He wanted to become a scout master for me, when I would go into Boy Scouts,” Reese said. “He passed away before I could make it into Boy Scouts so I kind of worked to get Eagle for him.”

Reese’s mother, Angie Hughes, said the project would have been “right up his dad’s alley.”

“Rob could fix anything. He was a jack of all trades. It would have been a great father and son project,” she said.

Interest in repairing the well

Reese, friends and volunteers spent Saturday in the scorching heat nailing wooden shingles to repair the roof that covers the well and cleaning the stones that were grimy from years of neglect.

Reese describes himself as “a history buff,” and he and his father often talked about the Bedford well, which was built by Weldon Wiles Bobo, of Bedford County, Tennessee, who founded the city in northeast Tarrant County.

The well was a rest stop for travelers going from Grapevine to Fort Worth, according to the city. It stood next to the Bedford store, owned by Bobo’s son, Joel Hayden Bobo.

The well was in use until the store burned in 1969, and in 1979, it was restored as a memorial to Bedford’s founders.

But the well was neglected for years until Reese Hughes came up with his plan to repair the roof and clean the stones.

“I looked around and saw this well. It didn’t look great, but it looked like it had historical significance,” Reese said. “I thought it was really cool. It was kind of depressing that it wasn’t being kept up.”

There is water in the well, but it is no longer used for drinking. A metal grate covers the well.

Help from friends and strangers

Reese met with Bedford officials, including parks and recreation director Mark Long and facilities manager Chris Clark.

Long said in an email: “As with all Eagle Projects, our involvement is very surface level. It’s up to the Scout to pick the project, get approval, plan, manage, and execute the project from start to finish.”

Long said he and Clark met with Reese to discuss logistics, such as equipment needs and the closest sources for water and electricity.

Reese also organized a car wash, a Go Fund Me page and contacted businesses for donations.

He raised $775 from the car wash, $750 from the Go Fund Me site and $380 from a dropoff site in Bedford.

He received $100 in coupons from the Home Depot and wood stain from Sherwin Williams.

Reese soon realized that he was going to need help bringing his plans to fruition. He turned to his brother-in-law, Allen Williams, who has experience in woodworking, and his father’s two best friends, David and Randy Hammonds, who stepped in after his father’s death.

Randy Hammonds, who lives in Austin, said Reese is a “special kid.”

“We are not blood related, but we believe that we are brought together for a far greater purpose,” he said. “Reese can learn how to complete projects, rally the community and step up to challenges in life where he can help.”

David Hammonds, who is Randy’s brother, agreed.

“It’s sad that his dad isn’t there to watch him step by step,” David Hammonds said.

Hammonds said they make it a point to be there for Reese on special occasions such as birthdays.

Williams, who also helped Reese plan how to repair the roof, said he was proud of his brother-in-law, who contacted Bedford officials and attended meetings with them.

“When we first started planning this out, I was explaining a lot of geometry to him as if he were a 5-year-old. he started spouting off equations and finding the right angles,” Williams said.

Reese wants to do things to make his father proud, Williams said.

“This is a personal goal to push himself to be an Eagle Scout.”

Reese has achieved the rank of Life Scout, just below the Eagle rank.

His next steps involve completing paperwork on the well project and meeting with scouting officials who will give him the final approval.

Ryan Cazzell, an assistant scout master, is mentoring Reese for his Eagle Scout project.

Cazzell said he was impressed with Reese’s organizational skills and the detailed description of his project.

“It was really cool to see him grab onto the concept of this project,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting to see the results.”

Angie Hughes said after her husband died, Reese was considering getting out of scouting because he no longer had his dad to help him.

But when his father’s friends stepped in, Reese was encouraged to continue with scouting.

“I am so proud, and the well is so beautiful,” Angie said. “I just want to pick it up and put it in our front yard and stare at it every day.”

When asked how he felt about creating a beautiful space in Bedford, Reese said he is happy with his accomplishment.

“I feel pretty good that I made a nice change for the city that I love.”