Charles Steele, a local businessman, farmer, and banker, had the structure built and was its first owner.

[2] The original hotel was used as a stage coach depot until the railroad came to Bedford in 1872.

[1] It was included as a contributing property in the Bedford Commercial Historic District in 2002.

The 1877 addition, built by Willard Barrows who owned the hotel at the time, fronts the building on Main Street.

This article about a property in Taylor County, Iowa on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.