SPENCER, Ind. -- It's a historic home that is capturing the attention of an entire town.
The Beem House sits on its perch on top of a tall hill overlooking the town of Spencer in Owen County and since 1874, its dazzled passerby's with its unique, Victorian Italianate architecture and facade.
It is a registered historic landmark, and according to the National Park Service, it is known by two names: The Beem House and The Hill.
And today, it is home to a young family hoping to restore and renovate the home and open their doors to the community.
"Whether it's creepy, or magical, or we hear haunted a lot, or whatever tall tales exist about the house," says Quinn Harmon. The young couple, Quinn Harmon and Stefan Welsh, along with their son Milo and furry friends bought the property from Indiana Landmarks in May of this year. " And so to finally be able to give a peak inside of that, people have really flocked to it."
The Colorado natives came to the Hoosier state in 2017, and hope to stay here for the long term.
The purchase of the house on the hill came about by chance.
"I have always wanted to do something like an old house or some sort of conversion," says Harmon. "So I was just literally bored one night on Zillow."
Quinn and Stefan were drawn to potential of this place and its unique history.
According the the National Parks website, The Beem House has its place in Spencer and Indiana history.
The Beem family came to Owen County to settle in the early 1800s with Daniel Beem. The family eventually donated land to Spencer for many of the sites you see in the county seat today.
Daniel's son Levi became the richest man in Owen County, organizing the First National Bank of Spencer, according to the National Parks document.
Levi's son David was a lawyer and helped organize a volunteer militia from Owen County to fight in the Civil War for the Union.
It was David who would go on to build the House on the Hill, which to this day is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Spencer.
"So many people in Spencer or Owen County, or just the area in general, know about the home," says Welsh. "Nobody's lived in this place for so long, like actually lived here, for so long, and now that we do, so many people are just like happy to see a family in it again."
Welsh credits Indiana Landmarks for the upkeep of the property which spans several acres and also includes a barn moved piece by piece from a farm in Grant County, and two other buildings on the property.
The barn was on family property of Sara Edgerton, an Indiana Landmarks Board Member. The barn was taken down and moved to Owen County and rebuilt on the property with help from an Amish community.
Edgerton was part of the group ownership of the historic Beem House from about 1984 until it was given to Indiana Landmarks.
Edgerton says the home was used for group gatherings for several years. She says she is thrilled to see a young family living there and hope they enjoy the property for many years.
There is also a carriage house on the property built in the 1800s used for a long term rental, and a summer kitchen that the couple is using for an AirBNB.
Welsh says before they bought the property and before Indiana Landmarks, a doctor owned who owned the home at one point saved several of the features like the tower from needing to be torn down.
Since moving in this past summer, the young family has renovated the kitchen and in many ways brought it back to its former glory. They have also added a front walkway.
"We've added a couple of sections of walkway in the front of the house," says Welsh. "And that was really big for us so we can invite the community up here."
And they did.
Through their social media accounts for The Hill - Spencer, the couple invited trick-or-treaters to make the hike up the hill to their home.
The Halloween-crazed town came out in droves to get a glimpse of the space, and they say they handed out at least 3,000 pieces of candy that night.
Now as the holiday season arrives, they have documented their Christmas lights installation on the facade.
"It's the community's house," says Welsh.
It's a tradition carried on since the original owner himself.
Beem created the estate complete with its own pond and during the winter, he invited townspeople to skate. The home also was the first in Spencer with running water, according to documents with National Parks.
For Welsh, his favorite part of the home is the front room with its large windows and original built-ins. He says it has that executive-feel that would make a great office someday.
For Harmon, its the porch that initially interested her in the property.
"There's a front porch that just overlooks the hill and the town of Spencer," says Harmon. "Many times we focus on the house and it looks so beautiful from the street and looking up, but the longer that we are here, the more I find that I enjoy looking down at the town."
The family in their purchase agreement with Indiana Landmarks agreed to keep the facade the same. They are doing some renovations inside, but most of the work is cosmetic to just restore the structures already in place.
You can follow their journey on Facebook at The Hill- Spencer, where they have already welcomed more than 2,000 followers in a few short months.
