Swansboro. Octagon house. The Hill-Jones house.
Built about 1855. Located at 301 Masonic Avenue.
Renovated around 1900, and again in 1950, and yet again in about 2004.
To what extent is not clear. The house is apparently very
substantially built, by Solomon White Davis, who was both a
mariner and a planter,
and is still basically in very sound condition. Like many houses
of the 1850s time frame, the very finest hardwoods were easily
available, inexpensive, and used for everything.
The original owners, the Hills, apparently
owned a great deal of land in the Cedar Point area in the 1850s.
Most recently owned by the Jones', the house and 60 acres of land
have been donated to the Masons. The house is being renovated.
It is not clear that this means restored. Characteristic of octagon
houses in the Fowler period ( 1848 to 1865 ), there are usually
no original floor plans or design documents.
Left click on the images below for larger versions.
The photograph at the left, top row, was probably taken in the 1950s.
The one in the right, top row, shows the house before the most recent renovation.
Sources: R. Kline; "More About Octagons," Carl F. Schmidt; Dale Travis. Ellen Puerzer.
Entered: September, 2002.
Updated: March, 2003.
Updated: June, 2004.
Updated: December, 2006.
Updated: May, 2009.
Updated: July, 2009.