Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
“The Bedford Public Library in Bedford, Iowa, was built in 1916. It was designed by Wetherell & Gage with Colonial Revival and Renaissance Revival features.”
Wikipedia article Bedford Public Library, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 7 National Register listings published here for Taylor County · listed in 1983 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Bedford Public Library between 2006 and 2013, burning about 6 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 April 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.5 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 12 February 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 January 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Bedford Public Library: 2 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Hopkins Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Nash Quarry and Mill | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| One Hundred and Two Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bedford, the town this property stands in, in 116 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 39 thunderstorm wind, 36 hail, 31 heavy rain, 4 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | 1 hurt, $9,000 | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Bedford | $100,000 | very intermittent track |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $75,000 | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $75,000 | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Flash Flood | Bedford | $50,000 | Law Enforcement reported a pond in town has completely filled and is overflowing and running across the road. Depth of the water is unknown. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Bedford | $50,000 | Hail ranged from one half inch to two and one half inches in diameter. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Flood | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Hail | Bedford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $30,000 | Taylor County Emergency Manager relayed roof damage occurred south of Highway 2 on Highland Ave. |
| April 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Flood | Bedford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Bedford | $25,000 | Rainfall of 1.75 inches was reported in less than an hour, causing extensive street flooding in Bedford. More than 6 inches of water was flowing through streets through the crossing of Highway 148. |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $20,000 | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $10,000 | Several tree limbs and power lines were downed throughout the town of Bedford. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Bedford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | Bedford | $5,000 | This was a brief tornado which occurred west of Bedford moving due north just west of Highway 2 in Taylor County. This tornado did some low end damage to outbuildings before dissipating. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | High winds downed large tree branches in Bedford. |
| September 2010 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | Reported on Highway 2. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | Tree limbs and power lines were blown down in Bedford. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| October 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Bedford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Lightning | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bedford | $1,000 | Social media report with top of a large tree snapped. Time estimated from radar. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Bedford Oil Company Station | 4.3 miles | 1999 |
 | Taylor County Courthouse | 4.4 miles | 1981 |
 | Bedford Commercial Historic District | 4.4 miles | 2002 |
 | Bedford House | 4.4 miles | 1977 |
 | Lenox Round Barn | 4.9 miles | 1999 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 83000405 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Taylor County | All 7 listed properties in this county. |
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