Contact BADC at (712) 523-3637 Adress 601 Madison Avenue, Bedford, Iowa 50833
First time visitors to Bedford often comment on the quaint brick streets, store fronts of iron and brickwork, beautiful landscaping, and the friendly and genuine old-time atmosphere of the town
In early 1853, a three-man commission appointed by Iowa’s third General Assembly chose the area where Bedford is located to be the “seat of justice”. By April a surveyor had already platted the town of Bedford and in July the first lots were being sold. The founder of Bedford is thought to be Edwin Houck, a man who arrived in Taylor County in 1854 and operated the county newspaper for many years.
Andrew Carnegie gifted Bedford with the Bedford Public Library, built in 1915. This new library building was considered to be very stylish with is facet in stucco and trimmed in brick and topped off with a red clay tile roof. The inside contains two fireplaces with original dark pine finished woodwork. It is one of the one-hundred and one Carnegie Libraries built across Iowa. The Library has updated its content from just books to including four public access computers featuring high speed internet connections.Conoco Station
Built in 1928, Conoco gas station was up and running just years after the first gasoline cars were assembled. It is featured on the National Register of Historic Places list and is a prime example of a mission-style building.Garland Hotel
The Garland Hotel was built in 1857. Its original and former name was “Bedford House” but was changed to Garland Hotel in 1910 after John Clark’s daughter. It is often known as the grandfather of all hotels in this area. The Garland Hotel served as a stagecoach depot until the railroad came through Bedford in 1872. The hotel has survived through a fire in 1875 and a tornado in 1892. It is also famous for housing Jesse and Frank James, members of the Quantrill’s border raiders, in room 7. A beautiful Flower garden can be viewed outside the dining room windows in the rear of the hotel. The Garland Hotel now has an art gallery and guest rooms with a tremendous gift shop featuring antiques original to the hotel. There is even a tunnel from Livery Stable to the hotel that runs under Main Street. It is estimated that more than 150,000 guests from all different types of living have stayed at the hotel since its opening in 1857. The Garland Hotel was honored by being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.As the Taylor County Seat another historic building, the county courthouse, serves as a favorite Bedford Landmark. For several years the county went without a county courthouse. The offices and court hearings were both held in the log cabin home of Jacob Ross. Finally, in 1864, the county built its first courthouse in Bedford, the square. The two-story stone building was used until 1891, when it was deemed unsafe. At this time the county built its present courthouse. The cornerstone of this building was laid in June of 1892 and the building was completed the following spring. The $38,810 building was designed by F.M. Ellis of Omaha. The impressive building is composed of pressed brick and is trimmed with Bedford limestone. It is often referred to as the “Majestic Lady with the White Crown”. The building has many unique aspects, such as fireplaces in numerous rooms and a wrought iron, spiral staircase that leads to the back of the courtroom. The courthouse has been magnificently preserved for over 150 years complete with a Seth Thomas clock, one of only eighty-two made. Both the clock and the building are illuminated and night. The Taylor County Courthouse is listed as a National Register Historical LandmarkBedford boasts about being the home town of the largest, most active museum south of Living History Farms. The Taylor County Historical Society was formed and incorporated in 1976 with the first opening in 1982. The Taylor County Museum consists of the museum building itself, a historic log cabin, a country schoolhouse, an old train depot and train tracks equipped with a caboose stretched across over four acres of land along Highway 2. A newer edition and believed “crown jewel” is the Lenox Round Barn originally built in 1907. The Lenox Round Barn was moved piece by piece to its new home at the museum after it started to deteriorate and almost collapsed and its original site. The Heritage Chapel offers an excellent opportunity for a small wedding. The chapel seats twelve twelve and is available by appointment for weddings. The museum is operated purely by volunteers. Donations help sustain fine quality compound on a day to day basis allowing admission to be free. The Taylor County Museum is the perfect place to take a trip down memory lane.