Among buildings destroyed by the 1929 fire in Monticello, was the Ramsey Hotel.  The lot where it stood remained vacant seven years.  In 1936, Robert Garnett Breeding built the Hotel Breeding on the lot.  Mr. Breeding hoped the new building would encourage the redevelopment of the rest of the commercial district destroyed by the fire.

    Mr. Breeding was the first president of Peoples State Bank, which he founded in 1935.  He also served from 1947 to 1959 as mayor of Monticello.  It is said that he oversaw every aspect of the hotel construction.  The basement for the hotel was dug using mules and shovels.  It was all done by hand.  Only the best materials were used in the construction of the building and the work had to be done with utmost care.

    Peoples State Bank occupied the corner store space of the hotel, while other tenants included the Ben Franklin Store and Western Auto.  At various times the building contained a furniture/appliance store (operated by Bill Breeding), a women's clothing store, and a barber shop.  Billy Breeding operated a cable television service for Wayne County out of the building.  The hotel was a haven for travelers and a meeting place for local service clubs.  During the 1980's the hotel was used as a rooming house.

    The building was vacant from 1985 until 1997 when the Wayne County Historical Society purchased it to be used as the William Crenshaw Kennedy, Jr. Memorial Museum.