English Valleys Bed and Breakfast is a Montezuma staple

​       Doug and Stacy Helm, owners of the English Valleys Bed and Breakfast north of Montezuma, are shown in their family room at the venue. The Helms purchased the ground, home and adjoining barn in May 2006 and have been offering a place for parties, celebrations, weddings, family gathers, hunting trips and more.

By J.O. Parker
 
        “Welcome,” said Stacy Helm as she greeted a family of five on a cold February Sunday afternoon.
       Her husband, Doug, stepped to the door, welcoming the family to the English Valleys Bed and Breakfast north of Montezuma.
       The family would be staying at the Bed and Breakfast for an extended amount of time for work-related business.
      And while Stacy was showing the family to their room, Doug answered a call from a customer who planned to stay at the Bed and Breakfast this coming spring.
         After visiting, Doug said he’d have Stacy give him a call to shore up business.
         Even though it was cold outside, it was business as usual for the Helms.
       The Helms have owned the English Valleys Bed and Breakfast at 4459 135th St. since May 2006. They purchased it from Jim and Sue Eichhorn, who turned the stately turn-of-the-century home into a bed and breakfast in the mid-1980s.
         After purchasing the farm, the Helms had the house raised and added a new basement. They had Frank and Harold Wheeler install new flooring and redid everything in the basement. Frank Wheeler had worked on the house when he got out of the military in 1946. He returned to work on it in 2006.
         Jim and Sue added a family room and new kitchen to the house in the 1980s. The family room includes a stunning rock fireplace using rocks from the nearby English River and surrounded by used brick pavers from Montezuma streets.
       The home features two bedrooms upstairs and three bedrooms in the basement. The basement rooms each have their own bathroom. The upstairs rooms share a bathroom. Behind the house is the signature feature of the B&B, it’s the big red barn, which was built in the 1920s. At that time, it was used like every barn in the country. Now, it’s a rentable facility for all types of parties and events.
       The barn also features a large deck on the east side with access via stairs and a handicap ramp installed by Tom Reed in 2011. On the lower floor of the barn loft is a kitchen along with two guest quarters – the bunkhouse which can sleep up to 10 and the Heritage Room which is perfect for 3-4 people.
       Outside the barn is an area for a campfire or a game of horseshoes. Eric Fynhart installed a rustic grain bin gazebo in 2025. The grain bin is special to Stacy because it was moved from her grandparent’s farm (Lyle and Arlene Sanders).
        Stacy used to cater events at the barn but opted to move in a different direction a few years ago.
      The barn loft is decorated with numerous antiques, old signs, saws, tools, old pots and pans and farm equipment. In addition, there is the old scoreboard from the former Montezuma Junior High School on display and one of the Montezuma Basketball Capitol signs on display that was given by Al Rabenold.
       The barn is used for graduation and birthday parties, anniversary events and wedding receptions, dances, family and class reunions, various parties and shopping events. On occasion, company functions and meetings are held in the old barn. Area schools have used the barn to hold prom. The barn can comfortably hold 125 people, but they once seated over 200 people for Joey and Blair Ahren’s wedding reception.
      Last summer, Doug said he and Stacy hosted a group of Argentinian farmers sponsored by Heartland Coop.
        “We’ve had guests at the bed and breakfast from Europe, Africa and Hawaii,” said Doug.
      And a special guest they had a few years ago was Daisy Duke’s stunt double from The Dukes of Hazard show. And last year, the barn was used for a townhall meeting for Iowa Democrat Rob Sands, who was in Montezuma to secure votes for the gubernatorial race.
        Fred Mims, a former athletic director at the University of Iowa, came pheasant hunting in 2012. He was a great storyteller of sports history of the Hawkeyes.
        The Helm’s host 4-6 outdoor weddings yearly.
When asked if it had ever rained during a wedding, Doug said only once did they have to move a wedding inside due to the weather.
         “They wanted to be married out by the pond, but with the rain, that didn’t happen,” said Doug.
       They also host upwards to 20 pheasant hunting groups in November and December, some who travel from across the country to spend a few days in Montezuma to hunt. Some of the hunters have been coming to Iowa since when the Eichhorn’s owned the bed and breakfast.
       When asked what led them to purchase the bed and breakfast and barn, Doug, who farms with his dad and family, said it had been on the market for a couple years.
        With all the family farming ground in the area, Doug said it made sense to add the bed and breakfast and 60-acres of farming ground to the Helm operation.
       Much of their business comes from long-term wind turbine workers, some who stay in their own campers at Quail Pointe Camping on the Helm property. The campground features eight camping sites with 50 and 30-amp electrical services, water and sewer.
      “We offer daily, weekly and long-term stay rates for campers,” noted info on the Bed and Breakfast grounds.
       Other long-time workers and guests traveling through Montezuma have an option to stay at the Monte Motel on Highway 63. Stacy purchased the motel in October 2024 and has completely remodeled the facility, adding new everything from a washer and dryer for guests to new furniture and a gathering place to visit or watch a game.
        When asked what they enjoy the most about the business, the Helms said meeting all the different kinds of people who visit the Bed and Breakfast or utilize the old barn.
       “Many of the hunters who stay year after year have become good friends,” said Doug.
      For more information, contact Doug and Stacy at [email protected], 641-623-3663 or on the internet at englishvalleybnb.com.

        The English Valleys Bed and Breakfast Big Red Barn features old antiques and decorative items. 

       Doug Helm, left, who owns the English Valley Bed and Breakfast north of Montezuma with his wife, Stacy, prepares to join a host of guest hunters who recently came to Montezuma to pheasant hunt. Hunters have been traveling from all across the nation to hunt in Montezuma and stay a few days at the bed and breakfast since the mid-1980s when the venue was first opened by Jim and Sue Eichhorn. The Helms purchased the bed and breakfast in 2006 and continue to offer hunting trips and the red barn venue for parties, weddings, anniversaries and family gatherings of all kinds.