MINNESOTA

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Blue Earth County.

Mankato. Octagon house. Built in the late 1860's by the James P. Gail family as a home and "fort" against indian attacks. A private home, it has been in the hands of the current owner's family since about the 1930s. The integrity of the house is said to be largely intact, although minor additions have been made. More details are available from the Blue Earth County Historical Society.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Sources: Susanna Witte. Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: September, 2001.
Updated January, 2010
Updated: March, 2010

Chippewa County.

Granite Falls. Holt octagon house. Built about 1875. Two story, stucco. The house is in the process of being restored.

Photograph and history.

Photograph.

Photograph.

Newspaper piece.

Source: Mary Louise Gillespie. Dale Travis provides a photograph.
Entered: December, 2001.
Updated: July, 2002.
Updated: June, 2004.

Dakota County.

Hastings. Octagon house. The Dr. William Thorne House. Built in 1857. Two story. Cupola. Stuco. The first story porch appears to go almost all around the house, and extends to an addition on one side. A segment of a 1867 map of Hastings shows the house at the center of the image.

Photograph.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

The older photograph above is undated.

Source: R. Kline. Dale Travis. Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: June, 2001.
Updated: June, 2002.
Updated: March, 2009.

Goodhue County.

Red Wing. Octagon house. The James Lawther house, built in 1857. "Inspired by a similar dwelling which he admired in Dubuque, Iowa, he built this impressive octagonal house at the corner of Third and Hill Street." Now a bed and breakfast. 927 West 3rd Street, Red Wing, MN 55066. 1-800-388-0434, ps@octagon-house.com. A segment of a 1868 map of Redwing shows the house at the center of the image.

Photograph.

Photograph.

Source: Brief article. Dale Travis supplies the photograph.
Entered: June, 2001.
updated: June, 2002.
updated: July, 2008.

Hennepin County.

St. Bonifaius Octagon house. Formerly a barn, built in 1917. Converted to a house in 1978. Located on Deer Creek Road, off country road 15.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Source: Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: March, 2010.

Itasca County.

LaPrairie. Octagon house. Built in about 1918. Log construction.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: September, 2002.

Jackson County.

Jackson. Octagon schoolhouse. Nothing else known

Left click on the image below for a larger version.

Source: Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: January, 2010.

Kandiyohi County.

Willmar. Octagon house. Built in the 1920s by Louis Berg, and accountant. Located at 1309 Gorton Avenue. Two story, with the second story being smaller, Dormers on four sides. The current owners, Allan and Bonnie Fritze, have lived in the house for 30 years, and have tried to keep it as original as possible. A deck has been added, and the rafters have been boxed in.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Sources: R. Kline. Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: September, 2002.
Updated: April, 2009.
Updated January, 2010

Le Sueur County.

Le Sueur. Octagon house. Built in about 1885. Located at 227 South 4th Street. One story.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: September, 2002.

McLeod County.

McLeod. Octagon schoolhouse. Was used well in to the 20th century.

Left click on the image below for a larger version.

Source: Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: January, 2010.

Meeker County.

Litchfield. Brighton Beach octagon house. Built in 1889. The only remaining part of a resort on Lake Ripley.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Source: Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: September, 2009.

Nicollet County.

Saint Peter. Octagon house. Built in 1858. Burned in the 1880s. Located at the end of Washington Avenue, near the intersection of Pine Street. Two story. Cupola. A segment of a 1870 map of Saint Peter shows the house at the center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2002.

Olmsted County.

Eyota. Octagon house. Built in 1859. Located on 4 East 5th Street. Single story. No copula. Porch apparently all around the house.

Left click on the image below for a larger version.

The photograph above is undated, but there is a TV antenna in the yard.

Photograph.

Sources: R. Kline, Dale Travis. Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: September, 2002.
Updated: August, 2005.
Updated: March, 2009.

Ramsey County.

North Saint Paul. The George W. Farrington octagon house. Construction date unknown, but before 1888, based on construction permits for expansion ofthe house. Located at 125 College Avenue. Razed in 1917 to make room for an expansion of Miller Hospital.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

The center and right photographs, above, are circa 1900.

Sources: Ellen Puerzer. Will, Ramsey County Historical Society.
Entered: June, 2009.
Updated: July, 2009.
North Saint Paul. Octagon house. The Osborn-Reiff House. Also called Woodbine. Built in 1887. Located at 2609 East 18th Avenue. Two story.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

A husband and wife team has recently purchased the house, and has a web site covering many historical and other aspects of the house.

Sources: Dave Sours and Marilee Olson, the current owners. Ellen Puerzer. The Minnesota Historical Society provided the vintage photographs.
Entered: August, 2002.
Updated: August, 2004.
Updated: June, 2009.
Updated: March, 2010

Rice County.

Cedar Lake. Octagon house. Built in 1870 by the Scotts, and later sold to Judge Jones. It then became the Jones-Harrison home for elderly women. The house was razed in 1892, and a new structure erected.

Left click on the image below for a larger version.

Source: Ellen Puerzer
Entered: February, 2009.

Scott County.

Shakopee. Octagon house. Built in or before 1869. Located on the corner of Dakota and Second Streets. Second Street is shared with a railroad track. Two story. A segment of a 1869 map of Shakopee shows the house at the center of the image.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Sources: R. Kline. Ellen Puerzer. Theresa M. Norman, Curator of Education & Collections, Scott County History.org
Entered: August, 2002.
Updated: June, 2009.

Washington County.

Afton. Octagon house. Built in 1855 by Meredith H. Thomas. Razed in 1946. Located on Washington Avenue. Two story. Cupola. Exterior walls are vertical pine boards.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Sources: R. Kline. Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: June, 2001.
Updated January, 2010
Lakeland. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1869 as the First Baptist Church. In about 1948 it was converted to a school, and in 1986 it was converted for use as a city hall. In year 2010 the back has been squared off. Only the front part is octagonal. Located at 690 Quinnell Avenue North.

Source: Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: January, 2010.

Winona County.

X Octagon schoolhouse. Built before 1894.

Left click on the image below for a larger version.

The photograph above is circa 1989, when the structure was being used as a town hall.

Source: Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: January, 2010.
Winona. Octagon house. Built in 1855. Two story. Located at 317 Lafayette, 55987.

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Two of the photos above show the porch the house once had. The car hood in one of the photos suggests the photos were taken 65 to 70 years ago.

Sources: Jennifer Simon.Ellen Puerzer. Walt Bennick, Archivist, Winona County Historical Society, Archives.
Entered: December, 2001.
Updated: April, 2009.
Updated: June, 2009.

Wright County.

Clearwater. Octagon house. Built in 1857, by Artemus Stevens, a lumberman. Located on 725 Ash. Two story. No cupola. Porch on five or more sides. As of 1975 was apparently in poor condition, resulting from neglect, and "mutilated by renovations."

Left click on the images below for larger versions.

Sources: R. Kline and "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: September, 2002.
Updated: April, 2009.

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