Octagon House, Concrete residence in Laurens, South Carolina.
The Octagon House is a concrete residence in Laurens featuring eight-sided porch columns and thick exterior walls with hollow passages throughout the structure. A central skylight illuminates both floors by way of the main hall.
Presbyterian minister Zelotes Lee Holmes built this concrete house in 1859, creating one of the earliest examples of such construction in South Carolina. The twelve fireplace-equipped rooms made it an architectural innovation for its era.
The basement rooms were originally designed as slave quarters with individual fireplaces and direct outdoor access, revealing the social structure of antebellum South Carolina through their layout and features.
The building sits on East Main Street and is easily located in downtown Laurens with straightforward street access. Major renovations were completed during the 1970s to adapt the structure for contemporary use.
Local legend speaks of a hidden chamber accessible through a trapdoor in the entrance hall, reportedly connecting to the nearby Laurens Cotton Mills via an underground passage. This secret remains unconfirmed but adds to the building's intrigue.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
