10/23/2026
Most people will never get to walk through this house. We spent a day inside with the family who's cared for it for 30 years.
518 W High St was built between 1892 and 1894, and in 130 years only three families have lived here. Mrs. Kempshaw ran the construction herself and threw parties so famous that, as the story goes, an invitation meant you'd made it in Peoria society. One night Rachmaninoff, best known for his Piano Concerto No. 2, played piano downstairs while guests danced in the foyer.
The AGA Stove deserves it's own video. We never knew something like this existed. And it operates at about $1.00 a day in natural gas.
Hand-carved woodwork on every door. Talking pipes and a bell that once called the kitchen. A parlor mirror heavy enough to need its own foundation. A w**e cellar hidden behind the refrigerator. And a werewolf carved into the mantel that almost everyone misses.
Steve and Leslie Paulson walked us through every floor, from the walkout basement to the sleeping porch with a view of downtown, and told us what it means to be the caretakers of a piece of Peoria history.
"You really don't own a house like this. You're a caretaker."
Grab a coffee and watch the full 6-minute film. Which detail would you want to see in person?
Adam Merrick Real Estate | AdamMerrick.com | (309) 282-1000
Chapters
0:00 An invitation worth having
0:18 The Kempshaws and the High W**e District
0:43 Finding the house
0:52 Seven kinds of hand-carved wood
1:24 The talking pipes
1:35 The mirror with its own foundation
1:48 The werewolf
2:02 Calling the kitchen
2:20 The AGA
3:00 Gatherings and the pizza oven
3:40 Upstairs, the sleeping porch and the view
5:02 The hidden w**e cellar and basement
5:41 Caretakers
