Built in 1904 by Joe Thiele (1850-1940), a sheep rancher and civic leader, the Old Thiele Building was constructed of native stone dug at Willow Creek, 2 miles west. Its first floor housed the Runnels County National Bank, while upstairs the Miles Opera House served as the town's social and cultural center, staging road shows, political rallies, and wrestling bouts. In 1923, a school was located here. Later, the structure was used as a dry goods store, grocery, post office, hotel, and again as a bank. After 1929 it was owned by Henry W. Bigler (1878-1966) and his wife, Mabel Hancock Bigler (1886-1961), who operated it as the Hotel Miles.