Charles D. or “Doc” was born in Holmes County, Ohio in 1826 where he studied law and pharmacy, prior to making his fortune in the West during the Gold Rush days. In 1853, after his first wife died in the West, he came to Winterset on his return to visit others from Holmes County who had settled here. He decided to stay and brought two brides to this home, two dying from childbirth.  He was married to his last wife, Eliza, for 45 years.  Their daughter, Lida May or “Mayme” Bevington Alexander Smalley, lived in the house until 1934.

Doc Bevington was very wealthy man and an active participant in most business and civic activities in Winterset for 50 years.  He sold real estate and owned businesses, a bank, farmland, timber, quarries, and much livestock.  From his perch here on the hilltop, he could see several downtown buildings that he owned and the town he helped create.

When he built this house in 1856, the limestone came from his nearby quarry, the bricks from his onsite kiln, and the walnut from the hillside below the house.  In days gone by, many Madison County children spent winter days sledding down the northeast section of the yard, affectionately known as “Mayme’s Hill.”

In 1976, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the privy and stone barn.