In the Late Middle Ages, the village was made up of two centres: "Stebeshusen" lay on the Kehrbach's left bank and belonged to the high court region of Rhaunen, and over on the other side lay "Smer(le)bach", which had its first documentary mention in 1325, and which formed together with the village of Asbach a court region of its own. Upon the 1515 partition of the Waldgraviate-Rhinegraviate, Smerlebach, which was also known as the court region of Stipshausen, passed to the Waldgraves and Rhinegraves of Kyrburg and thereafter belonged to the "Amt" of Wildenburg.