Elegant architecture and a ghost: 7 Peoria properties will be part of annual holiday tour

PEORIA – Seven historical properties will be open to the public for this year’s Peoria Historical Society Holiday Home Tour on Dec. 2 and 3. An annual celebration of Peoria’s historical architecture and a fundraiser for the Peoria Historical Society, the tour allows a glimpse inside private homes and businesses typically not open to the public. Featured this year are: A Federal-style farmhouse in the West Bluff Historic District, the home is about 150 years old and owned for the last three years by John and Gail Dickerson. It was one of the first built on Moss Avenue, and is situated on land originally awarded by President James Monroe. The original home, which is encased in the center of the…