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Bedford County.
- North of Bedford Octagon school. Built 1851.
Single story.
Photograph.
Larger view.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: August, 2006
Updated: February, 2007
Berks County.
- Mt. Pleasant Octagon house. The George Stoudt house.
Age unclear. Torn down some time in
1971. Two story. No cupola. Perhaps located on Eight Cornered Road.
Photograph, taken in the summer, 1971, by George M. Meiser,
for the Smithsonian HABS project.
Photograph, taken in about 1930.
Whether the people in the photograph are the owners of the house is not known.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: February, 2003
Updated: July, 2003
- Mt. Pleasant Octagon smoke house. Built in 1860. Located on the
Konig-Speicher farm. Single story.
Photograph.
Source: HABS PA-258-E
Entered: March, 2004
- Sinking Spring. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in the 1850s.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: October, 2002
Blair County.
- Bellwood. Round house. Located on North Second Street.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
Bucks County.
- New Hope. Octagon house. Appears to have been built quite early -
perhaps 1805 to 1815.
On Route 202, by the public school. Once called "Cintra." Three stories.
The attic has dormers.
Stucco. Ornate wood doors. Brass fixtures, Valley
Forge marble in the outer hall. Curving staircase.
Recently an antique store. Present usage unknown.
Source: Joseph S. Loch
Entered: March, 2002
- Leidytown. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1816. Now gone.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
- Lumberville. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1824.
Converted in 1858 to residential use.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
- Oxford Valley. Octagon schoolhouse. Built about 1840.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
- Wrightstown. Octagon schoolhouse. Penns Park octagonal
school house. Built in 1802.
Located at the south corner of State Road 232 and Swamp Road.
Contemporary photograph.
Larger view.
Larger version of sign.
Front view.
Left front view.
Rear view.
Sources: HABS PA-5603. Dale Travis provides a photograph.
Entered: March, 2004
Updated: July, 2006
Updated: February, 2007
Butler County.
- Chicora. Octagon house. Nothing else known
Source: R. Kline.
Entered: September, 2002
Chester County.
- Birmingham. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1819.
Located at Birmingham and Meetinghouse Roads.
Photograph
Source: LOC HABS PA-5138.
Entered: March, 2004
- Downingtown. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1818.
Two story. Located in
east Caln township, east of Downingtown.
Photograph
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt. LOC HABS PA-168.
Entered: October, 2002
Updated: March, 2004
- Paoli. Hexagon schoolhouse. Diamond Rock schoohouse.
Built in 1837. Current status unknown.
Located at Yellow Springs Road and Diamond Hill Roads.
Photograph.
Sources: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt. HABS PA-207
Entered: October, 2002
Updated: March, 2004
- NW of Thornville. Hexagon schoolhouse. Built 1837.
Photograph.
Larger view.
Larger version of sign.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: February, 2007
Updated: February, 2007
- Towerville. Octagon house. Lukens Pierce House.
Alternatively, the Fallowfield octagon house. Built in 1856.
Located at 115 Wilmington Road.
Two story. Cupola. Stucco finish. Very good condition.
Lois Mary Hinderling, whose relatives have had a long association
with the house, provides the following information:
"This Victorian Octagon House was built in 1856 by Lukens Pierce, one of
the largest nurserymen in the country at that time. Constructed by
Benjamin Vandever of Coatesville as a residence, the house was formed by
a wood frame filled with small field stones mixed with sand, lime and
water. A large central stairway leads to the third floor which is
topped by a cupola. Once part of 150 acres, this octagon house
originally had a porch that wrapped around five sides of the house and
was surrounded by many variants of shrubs, fruit trees, ornamental trees
and evergreens."
It is interesting to see that even information about the builder
is still known.
As of August, 2005, the house is on the market. The realtor can be
reached at 610-476-4910.
A porch once existed.
While a porch on at least three sides was a standard feature on most of the
older houses, they have disappeared on many.
They often rotted away with age, and were never repaired or replaced.
One can see the porch in the photographs below. It once extended around
five sides of the house.
A photograph from about 1895.
The people shown are relatives of Lois Mary Hindering, and a livestock
buyer and his son. From right to left are
-
The son of the buyer.
-
Nelson Pennock Boyer, owner, and great grandfather.
-
Livestock buyer.
-
Leroy Boyer, sone of Nelson.
-
Blanch Boyer Sullivan - daughter of Nelson, and grandmother.
A photograph from about 1900.
The photographs below were taken in roughly the 1950s, as evidenced by
the TV antenna on top of the cupola. In the front left view one can
see a line just below the second story windows, showing where a porch
attached to the house.
Front right view.
Left view.
Contemporary photograph.
Below is a painting of the house done be Towerville local artist
Doris Whitehead Polk, perhaps after 1985.
Painting.
Sources: R. Kline. HABS PA-1139, Dale Travis, Lois Mary Hinderling.
Entered: September, 2002
Updated: March, 2004
Updated: August, 2005
Crawford County.
- Harmonsburg. Octagon house. Two story. Wide, low cupola.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
- Harmonsburg. Octagon house. Built in 1885. Nothing else known.
Source: R. Kline.
Entered: September, 2002
Cumberland County
- Newburg. Octagon house.
Source: Pam Rohland, Central PA magazine.
Entered: June, 2001.
Deleware County
- Glenolden. Octagon house. Two story. large cupola.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: September, 2002.
- Hawleys. Octagon house. Two story. Wide, low cupola.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: September, 2002.
- Newtown Square. Octagon school. Built in the late 1790s by John
Hood. Built of field stone, has seven windows, one door. Used well into
the 19th century.
The Hood Octagon School House. Located on the Dunwoody Village on West
Chester Pike.
Photograph
There is reason to believe that there were many octagon schools in the
Delaware valley in the 1800s.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: June, 2001.
East Montgomery County
- Kulpsville. Hexagon house. The John Boorse House.
Perhaps built before 1861. The information below, supplied by
Judy Scheehle, provides details
about the current efforts to save and restore the house, as well as
some historical information. Hexagon houses from the Fowler period
of roughly 1848 to 1865 ( opinions vary on the years ) are very rare.
Less than five are known. Estimates for octagon houses for the same
period range from 1,000 to 5,000. But it's very likely that no one
really knows how many were built, and the estimates are little better
than guesses.
A piece from the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1997 describes current
efforts to move and save the house, as well as photographs:
part 1
part 2 .
A circa
1919 photograph.
Probably a 1950s photograph.
Between 1919 and some time in roughly the 1950s the original porch
has been removed. One can see a band of lighter shingles just above
the windows and door of the first story, indicating where the original
porch was attached. The shutters on the windows have also been removed.
A
1999 photograph
of the house being dismantled for storage an later restoration.
Sources: Tim Hollenbec. Judy Scheehle, Milton Hexagon house, Milton, WI,
and "More About Octagons," Carl F. Schmidt.
Entered: June, 2001.
Updated: February, 2002.
Updated: February, 2003
Fayette County
- Northwest of Uniontown. Octagon toll house. Built in 1835.
Partial octagon. Two story.
Photograph.
Larger view.
Source: Dale Travis
Entered: September, 2006
Updated: February, 2007
Franklin County
- Near Bursonville. Octagon schoolhouse.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: October, 2002
- Chambersburg. Round Building. Built in or before 1894.
Located a few blocks from the intersection of Philadelphia Avenue and Hazel
Street. Function unclear. Possibly a house.
A segment of an 1894
map
of Chambersburg shows the building at the center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2002.
Greene County
- Waynesburg. Three pointed house. Built in or before 1897.
Located on West Street, near the intersection with Wayne Street.
Two story. Three wings come together to form a three pointed star.
A segment of an 1897
map
of Waynesburg shows the house at the center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2002.
Indiana County
- Indiana. Octagon house. Built in or before 1900.
Located on Grant Street, not far from the intersection of Eleventh Street.
A segment of an 1900
map
of Indiana shows the building at the center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2002.
Lawrence County
- New Bedford. 12-sided house. Located off Route 208, at Marr and
Cherrywood Roads. Two story.
Photograph.
Larger view.
Source: R. Kline. Dale Travis provides the photograph.
Entered: September, 2002
Updated: July, 2006
Updated: February, 2007
- Pulaski. 12-sided house. Two story. Brick. Located on
S.R. 208, west of Pulaski Street.
Photograph.
Larger view.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: October, 2002
Updated: July, 2006
Updated: February, 2007
Luzerne County.
- Benton. The Hirlinger octagon house. Built in 1865.
Located at the base of Red Rock Mountain, about 2 miles northwest
of the intersection of routes 118 and 487
Photographs and history.
Sitting vacant for a period starting in 1940, the house was purchased and
somewhat restored by William Kent. Somewhere along the line the house lost
the porch. It seems common enough for the large porch on an octagon house
to have simply rotted away. Built in a day of essentially free hard woods,
the porch might have simply been rebuilt back in the 1800s. Today the cost
of materials and labor is such that the porch is more likely to be hauled
away and forgotten about.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: February, 2005
- Wilkes-Barre. Octagon house. Built in or before 1889.
Located on the corner of Hannover Street and South Main Street.
Two Story. Cupola. Needs confirmation.
A segment of an 1889
map
of Wilkes-Barre shows the building to the right of center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2002.
Mercer County
- Sharon. Octagon house. Built in or before 1901.
Located on the corner of Elm and East State Streets.
Needs confirmation. This might be a tower structure on one of the other
houses - these are common in the neighborhood.
A segment of an 1901
map
of Sharon shows the building at the center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2002.
Montgomery County
- Conshohocken. Octagon schoolhouse. Now a residence.
Located on North Lane, south of the village.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
Northampton County
- Lower Saucon. Hexagon schoolhouse. Built in 1833. Now gone.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
Northumberland County
- East of Montandon. Octagon schoolhouse.
Sodom school. Believed to have been built some time around 1812-1814.
Single story. Stone construction, using stone likely quarried right on site..
Used until 1915. All in all the structure is in very good condition, and
all but 200 years old now. A new cedar shingle roof will now arrest any further
water damage inside.
Located on the highway between Montandon and Danville.
The following information is distilled from that provided by Vaughn Murray, a local
resident who has a great deal of familiarity with the school.
No longer used after 1915 as a school, it sat dormant for years.
It was rennovated at least twice before today's attempts. Once in the 1930s, as
a WPA project, and more in the 1960s. A major rebuild had to be performed in 1972
after flood damage. Efforts at rennovation continue in year 2008 as local efforts
continue to also add period school furnishings, including old blackboards, and
outdoor facilities.
Other people have scraped, reglazed, and painted the windows, and acqured a new door.
Interior plaster repair and painting will be done in the summer.
The exterior stone has been repointed.
A period cast-iron stove has also been obtained.
Owned by the state until the 1980s, over the years other uses for the structure
were contemplated, but a lack of indoor plumbing and electricity were obstacles,
although this could apparently still happen, despite the expense.
In time the goal is to create a setting to accommodate visitors.
Hemmed in by private land, an arrangement for more land around the building
has to be worked out yet, and is in progress.
A piece from 1977 includes an undated photo of the school and shows that it once
had a belfry. The bell has disappeared. The photo shows that the building was in
rough shape before rennovations began.
History & photograph.
Built some time in and around 1812 to 1814, there is a lot of lore surrounding
the origins of the house, some perhaps containing some truth, and others pure
fabrication. The best description of the interior of the school is from a
teacher who taught there in 1878 and 1879. See the piece above.
Photograph.
Photograph. Taken perhaps in the
1950s.
Sources: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt. Dale Travis. Vaughn Murray.
Entered: October, 2002
Updated: December, 2003
Updated: July, 2008
Updated: August, 2008
Somerset County
Sullivan County
- Estella. Octagon house. Built about 1858 by William Marsden, a
German immigrant. Two stories, cupola, apparently block construction.
The house has been massively restored.
See detailed descriptions of the house and builder, as well as
photographs.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: January, 2002.
Entered: July, 2006.
- North of Forksville. Octagon house. Built in the 1860s.
Photograph.
Larger view.
Source: Dale Travis, photograph by Jack Schmidt.
Entered: July, 2006.
Updated: February, 2007
Susquehanna County
- Great Bend. Octagon house. Built in or before 1887.
Two story. Cupola. Located on Church Street, not far from the
intersection with John Street. Has additions.
A segment of an 1887
map
of Great Bend shows the building at the center of the image.
Source: R. Kline
Entered: August, 2002.
- Hickory Grove. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1818. Now gone.
Source: "More About Octagons," Carl F. Schmidt.
Entered: Octagon, 2002
- Kingsley. Octagon house. Now gone. Used for fire practice.
Nothing else known.
Source: Lorraine Chidester
Entered: August, 2004.
- Montrose. Octagon house. Built in 1866.
Two story. Roof gables on four sides.
Located at 6 Ridge Street. Now a bed and breakfast.
A segment of an 1890
map
of Montrose shows the building at the center of the image.
Photograph.
Larger view.
Larger view.
Sources: Lorraine Chidester, the current owner. Dale Travis and Jack Schmidt
provide the photographs.
Entered: August, 2004.
Updated: July, 2006.
Updated: February, 2007
Tioga County
- Osceola. Octagon house. Nothing else known.
Source: R. Kline.
Entered: September, 2002
Union County
- Lewisburg. Octagon house. The Dieffenderfer-Mitchell house.
Built in the 1850s. Has been restored.
Two story. Cupola. Stucco exterior. Very good condition.
Photograph.
Photograph. Taken perhaps in the 1950s.
Sources: Dale Travis. Pam Rohland, Central PA magazine. "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
Entered: June, 2001.
Updated: December, 2003
Wayne County
- West of Starrucca. Octagon house. Built in 1993.
While the house was built in 1993, it appears that significant efforts
were made to preserve the look of a Fowler house from the 1860s.
But for the excellent condition of hte house, it is unlikely that most
observers would be aware that the house is contemporary.
Photograph.
Source: Dale Travis.
Entered: March, 2007.
- Whites Valley. Octagon schoolhouse. Built in 1840.
Photograph taken in 1936.
Photograph of interior, taken in 1936.
Source: R. Kline. Photographs are part of the HABS project, Library of Congress.
Entered: November, 2003
Wyoming County.
- Laceyville. Octagon house. Wood, with a tin roof. Cupola.
Main Street. Built in "the
middle 19th century," by George Smith. One of three in NE Pennsylvania.
Purchased from George Smith in about 1900 by Abel A. Carter, a local cattle
dealer and occupied by him and his descendants until 1959 when it was sold to
Al Bluhm.
Photograph.
Larger version.
Sources: Photograph and brief article.
Apparently a bi-centennial book about Laceyville was written, and contains
information about the house.
Photograph provided by Dale Travis.
Entered: June, 2001. The source is a real estate ad, and may disappear quickly.
Updated: December, 2005.
Updated: February, 2007
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