Octagon House, Historic wooden residence in Wisconsin, United States
Octagon House is a wooden eight-sided residence in Watertown, Wisconsin, built with eight symmetrical walls arranged around a central spiral staircase. The home contains numerous rooms spread across multiple levels, each displaying period furnishings that reflect life during the 1800s.
John Richards built this eight-sided house in 1854 using the octagon design, which was an uncommon choice at that time. The home stayed within his family for over eighty years before eventually opening to the public.
The Watertown Historical Society maintains the house as a museum, presenting period furnishings and architectural elements from the mid-nineteenth century.
The visit lets you walk through multiple levels with many different rooms to explore throughout the house. It helps to plan for enough time to see the basement kitchen and other areas at a comfortable pace.
The house includes wall ducts that allow natural cooling through air circulation, and a rainwater collection system stored in a third-floor tank. These practical features show how residents achieved comfort and water conservation without modern technology.
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