Civil War era home built by Indiana University grad for sale in southern Indiana

SPENCER, Ind. — Indiana Landmarks is selling a historic house built by an Indiana University graduate and Civil War veteran who fought in some of the deadliest and most significant battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg.

The Beem House, built in 1874 by Spencer native David Enoch Beem, measures nearly 3,500 square feet and sits on a multi-acre estate that overlooks the town from a hill on West Hillside Avenue.

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“The Beem house has fortunately remained remarkably intact,” said Tommy Kleckner, director of the western regional office for Indiana Landmarks.

The nonprofit restores and repurposes historic structures to “revitalize communities and reconnect people to heritage.”

The Beem house has a limestone foundation, features original trim and hardwoods and has 14-foot ceilings, the nonprofit said.

Kleckner said the estate includes other historic structures, including a carriage house, which make the property unique.

While many examples of its Italianate architecture style exist in the U.S., fewer do so in villa form, which, along with the reconstructed tower, set the home apart from similar structures.

The style was inspired by picturesque Italian villas and farmhouses and also evokes “the formal symmetrical buildings modeled on the principles of urban Italian Renaissance design,” according to Indiana Landmarks.

Kleckner said records indicate that Beem really made the home a showplace, which it remains today, thanks in part to the size of the property, which has helped buffer it from encroachment.

Beem, the original owner, was born in Spencer on June 24, 1837, the sixth of 12 children, according to the Indiana Historical Society. Beem’s father, Levi, had come from Kentucky and settled in Owen County in 1817.

Beem worked on the family farm until age 19 and graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington with a law degree in 1860. He opened an office in Spencer in fall 1860, but the Civil War interrupted his career.

Beem enlisted as a first sergeant in Company H, 14th Indiana Volunteer Regiment, on April 19, 1861. He was promoted to first lieutenant in August 1861 and to captain in May 1862. He married Mahala Joslin on April 10, 1862. According to the archives, Beem fought in Rich Mountain, Cheat Mountain, Winchester, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.

Beem left the military in June 1864 and returned to his law practice. He also organized the First National Bank in Spencer and served as cashier and manager. Beem lost much of his money in a failed pork packing business in Spencer in the 1870s. He continued to work in law and banking.

He and his wife had one daughter and two sons. Beem died after a long illness in Spencer on Oct. 23, 1923.

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Indiana Landmarks has listed the home for $889,000. An offer is pending. Kleckner said he hopes the home will sell in a matter of days. The home was donated to the organization last year by the former board chair, Sara Edgerton, who oversaw restoration of the house, tower, carriage house and summer kitchen. Proceeds from the sale will go toward the nonprofit’s preservation programs.

Protective covenants will assure the home retains its historical value. For example, the new owner cannot demolish the property’s structures or significantly alter them, or subdivide the land, without approval from Indiana Landmarks.

Kleckner said the home was built for a single family, but a new owner could use it for another purpose that conforms with local zoning laws. It could operate as a bed and breakfast, for example, so long as the business operations do not detract from the home’s residential character.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Beem house built by IU grad in 1874 for sale in Spencer, Indiana