The Brookton area of the Wheat Belt was first settled in 1846 by John Seabrook and the town was founded in 1884. The name was originally Seabrook but the railway station was called Brookton. After some negotiation and changes to other stations the town eventually was re-named Brookton to bring it in to line with the station name. (The Aboriginal name for the area was Kalkarni.) The town was gazetted in 1899.
The development of Brookton literally ‘took off in 1902, In that year the streets of the townsite (declared on 17 February 1899) were cleared and as more settlers poured in, the township, to serve them, developed.
The influx of farmers and the focal point of a police station, albeit close to both Beverley and Pingelly, enticed new capital in the way of service business. Thus in quick succession in 1903 there was established the Brookton Agency (W.M. Crawford), Brookton Store (V. Montgomery) and the Bedford Hotel. To service the rapidly growing district the State owned WA Bank branch was established in late 1906.
The Bedford Hotel was built in 1903 when the land site was traded for a Table Top Wagon by Mr JL Cummins who purchased the land to build the Bedford Hotel. The Hotel was the first Hotel in the township and much of the building still appears today as it did then.
The hotel was in possession of many local artefacts and genuine pieces of the town’s history. With the help and guidance of the Brookton Historical Society and the Brookton Shire Council, the important items have been donated so the public can view them in the appropriate setting.
