WISCONSIN

Brown County.

• Green Bay. Octagon house. Built in the 1860s. Now gone. Two story.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002

Crawford County.

• Prairie du Chien. Octagon house. Built in 1853. Razed in 1970.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002

Dane County.

• Madison. Octagon house. It's said there were once five octagon houses in Madison. Details are available at this time only for the two shown below.
• Madison. Octagon house. Built in 1852-4 for Wisconsin governor Leonard J. Farwell, it was later modified and used as a civil war hospital, then an orphans home, and finally a seminary/prep-school. It was torn down in 1895. An early image, provided by the ELPuerzer archive, shows the structure when it was an orphan's home.
  Source: brief article..
  Entered: June, 2001.
• Madison. Octagon house. Built in 1856. Burned in 1976. Located at 121 West Wilson. As the neighborhood around it changed, the structure changed from a home to a commercial structure. A last minute attempt to restore the home was thwarted by a fire, in which it was gutted, and is now gone. The following photographs, provided by the ELPuerzer achieve, show the structure in different phases of its existence.
  
  Early photograph shows the structure when it was a home.
  
  In this photograph the structure was being used by the Salvation Army.
  
  In this photograph the structure has been stripped of the gray paint on the outside, but has been gutted by fire, and is shown just prior to being demolished.
  
  A newspaper piece describes the fire that finally destroyed the building.
  
  Another newspaper piece describing the fire that finally destroyed the building.
  
  Sources: Kevin Berner, Ellen Puerzer.
  Source: Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: September, 2002
• Middleton. Octagon house. Located at 2621 Park Street. Stone construction, with a large, windowed cupola. Excellent condition.
  Photograph.
  Source: Dale Travis and Don Burnell.
  Entered: October, 2002
• South of Mount Horeb. Octagon house. Located at 2532 WI92.
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: October, 2002

Dodge County.

• Horicon. Octagon house. Built in 1855 or so. Located at 219 Valley Street. Current owner is Paul Kruel. Possibly brick.
  
  A 1914 photograph has been provided by the ELPuerzer archive.
  
  Photograph 1.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Photograph 2.
  
  Photograph 3.
  
  Sources: Ginny Seaholm, Dale Travis, Ellen Puerzer, and Ron Buege.
  Entered: June, 2001.
  Updated: March, 2002.
  Updated: April, 2006.
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Beaver Dam. Octagon house. Built in 1865 by hardware merchant Rudolph C. Gaton. Each side was twelve feet long. In 1882 veterinarian Nathan Phelps purchased the house, and squared up the front, and removed the second floor of the rear half. Sadly, squaring up octagon houses was not totally rare, and it's perhaps the case that several octagon houses have not be identified for just this reason. See the house at 416 Erie, in Albion, Calhoun county, MI, for another example. Just driving by, one would never suspect the house was ever once an octagon house.
  
  In 1952 the house was sold once again, after almost 70 years, and yet more modifications were made, this time to the interior. The following photograph., description by Carl Schmidt, and current status have been provided by the ELPuerzer archive. The house has been so significantly modified that it's difficult to envision it as a two story octagon. Perhaps a pre 1882 photograph of the houses exists somewhere.
  Source: Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: September, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007

Douglas County.

• Superior. Octagon house. The house was purchased by a relative of the current owners in 1917. How much older than that it is is not known. An undated newspaper piece, below, mentions the house is not registered as a historic house. Two story. Large cupola. Very good condition, but, characteristically, the interior has been modified. The owners as of the publication of the piece below are apparently not interested in the historical aspects of the house, and therefore preserving anything for just that reason. They are long term residents of the house, apparently also growing up there.
  
  A photograph of the house, taken some time in the 1950s, detailed information, and interior details provided by the ELPuerzer archive.
  Source: Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: September, 2002

Eau Claire County.

• Augusta. Octagon house. Razed in 1969. Nothing else known.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002

Fond du Lac County.

• Brandon. Octagon house. The Markardt house. Built in 1845. Located on Route 2, about two miles east of Brandon.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002
• Fond Du Lac. Hexagon business building. Built in the 1860s by John Macy for use as a library. Located on Hwy 45 Route 2. Two story. An old photograph provided by the ELPuerzer archive.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis and Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: September, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Fond Du Lac. Octagon house. Built in 1860. Located on 171 Forest Avenue. Two story. As of March, 2006, work is being done on the porch. A segment of an 1867 map of Fond du Lac shows the building at the center of the image.
  
  Photograph 1.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Photograph 2.
  
  Photograph 3.
  
  Sources: Dale Travis and Ron Buege supplied the photographs.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: March, 2006
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Fond Du Lac. Octagon house. Built in 1856. Two story. The Second story consists of four large dormers. Located at 276 Linden.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Museum.
  
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Ripon. Octagon house. Woodruff house. Built in 1852. Located at 610 Liberty Street. Two story. Large cupola. Kate Miller, who lived in the house as a child, relates the following information:
  
  The house is constructed of poured cement, which makes it very sturdy. It was built in 1867 and remodeled in the early 20th century (approximately 1911, I think). The addition was constructed at this time. One of the main reasons the house was remodeled was that the owner's wife was an invalid, so he had to carry her up the stairs to bed every evening. During remodeling, the staircase was opened to make this process easier. I do not know if the cupola is similar to the original structure; it wasn't there when I lived in the house. The house has a large, rough basement with many rooms. The main floor currently has a large living room with a bay window, a formal dining room, a large kitchen, a small pantry, a library/office, and a bathroom. Upstairs, the house has four bedrooms and (I believe) two bathrooms. One other interesting feature of the house is that the door to the basement features a latch that dates to the mid-1700s.
  
  A segment of an 1867 map of Ripon shows the building at the left of center of the image, on Liberty Street, between Locust and Cedar Streets.
  
  Photograph 1.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis and Ron Buege provide the photograph. Kate Miller lived in the house, and provided detailed information.
  Entered: July, 2002
  Updated: April, 2006
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Ripon. Octagon school. Built in or before 1867. Located off of what is today called Park Street, between Cedar and Union Streets. Two Story. Cupola. Is likely the school house shown in the image of the building is provided by the ELPuerzer archives. The ELPuerzer archives also provides the following
  
  photograph.
  
  A date is not specified, but it appears the photo could be from the late 1800's.
  
  A segment of an 1867 map of Ripon shows the building at the right of center of the image, near the right end of Cedar Street.
  
  The school was searched for in March, 2006, and could not be located.
  
  Sources: R. Kline, Ellen Puerzer, and Ron Buege.
  Entered: August, 2002.
  Updated: September, 2002.
  Updated: March, 2006.
  Updated: May, 2006.
• Ripon. Octagon house. Built in 1853. Now gone. Located on 508 State Street. Single Story. Cupola.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002.
• Ripon. Octagon house. Built in 1860. Razed in 1960. Located on the west end of Liberty Street. Two story.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002.
• Ripon. Octagon house. Built in or before 1867. Located about a block south of the corner of Ransom and Watertown Streets. Two story. A segment of an 1867 map of Ripon shows the building at the left of center of the image, The map is inverted and rotated. Watertown Street is north of Sullivan and Belleview Streets. Current status unknown. A search in March, 2006, did not locate the house.
  Sources: R. Kline and Ron Beuge.
  Entered: September, 2002.
  Updated: March, 2006.

Forest County.

• Crandon. Octagon house. Built in 1900. Present status unknown. Located at 206 South Metonga.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002

Grant County.

• Bagley. Octagon house. Built in 1897. Razed in 1954.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002
• Lancaster. Octagon house. Built in 1855. Razed in 1960. Located on Elm and Grant Streets. Two story.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002
• Platteville. Octagon house. Built in 1856. Razed in 1897. Located on Elm and Grant Streets. Two story.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002

Green County.

• Monroe. Octagon components, apparently in a cross shape. The general Francis H. West home. Built in 1860. On 20th Avenue. Two story. Brick construction. Cupola. Porch on at least five sides of one hexagon component.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: June, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007
• Monroe. Octagon house. Built in the 1850s. Razed in the 1930s. Located on 7th Avenue. Two story.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.

Jefferson County

• Northwest of Ft. Atkinson. Octagon house. Possibly built in the 1850s. Two story. Stucko. Porch on two sides.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Jefferson. Octagon house.
  Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
  Entered: October, 2002.
• Oakland. Octagon house. Built 1849. Located on City Hwy M. Two story. Needs verification. There is an Oakland Township in Jefferson county, but no town of Oakland.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002
• Watertown. Octagon House. Brick, five stories, 57 rooms, with cupola. Built 1854; now museum, operated by Watertown Historical Society. 919 Charles Street.
  
  Photograph . Date taken is not clear. It shows the house with all of the porches gone, and probably before any restoration work was done. It was very common for the porches on old octagon houses to rot away. The cost of replacing them in a day of very expensive wood is mostly prohibitive, and most often is not done.
  
  An early rendition of the house also shows the builder, John Richards, provided by the ELPuerzer archive.
  
  Photograph 1.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Brief article, photo.
  
  Photograph 2. Date taken is not clear. Part of the Smithsonian HABS project.
  
  Postcard. Date taken is not clear. A guess would be around 1900.
  
  Postcard showing the staircase. Date taken is not clear.
  
  Photograph 3.
  
  Photograph 4.
  
  Photograph 5.
  
  Photograph 6.
  
  Photograph 7.
  
  Sources: The Octagon Fad (photo), pp. 124-125, 152, Jerry Freeze. Ron Beuge provided a group of photographs.
  Entered: March, 2002.
  Updated: July, 2003.
  Updated: April, 2006.
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Watertown. Octagon house. Built in or before 1867. Now gone. Located at the intersection of Washington Street and Center street. ( Caution: in 1867 at least, there were Washington streets on both sides of the river. ) Elm Street and Water Street are the other two boundary streets. Two Story. Cupola. Porch. A segment of an 1867 map of Watertown shows the building at the center of the image.
  A newspaper piece , provided by the ELPuerzer archive, includes a photograph of the house, and details about its history and fate.
  Source: R. Kline and Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: August, 2002. Updated: September, 2002.
• Watertown. Octagon house. Location of the Oak Hill Cemetery. Nothing else known.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002.

La Crosse County.

• Neshonoc. Octagon house. Two story. Needs verification - there does not appear to be a town with this spelling.
  Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
  Entered: October, 2002.
• West Salem. Octagon House. The Palmer-Lewis octagon house. Built in 1856 by Dr. Horace Palmer. Two story. Porch on three sides, on the first and second floors. Originally located on the Nashonic River and moved when the railroad went through to 358 North Leonard Street.
  
  Constructed of oak beams and walls with brick lining and and sawdust insulation. The barn was attached directly to the house. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is now maintained by the West Salem Historical Society.
  
  In October, 2007, the house was to be moved to a 2.5 acre site provided by la Crosse County, at W3362 Highway 16, which is almost the exact place where the house was originally located. The move was necessitated by development of the land where the house previously stood, and for now saves the house from destruction.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
  Updated: January, 2008.
• North of West Salem. Octagon House. Built about 1857 by Dr. Palmer's brother, Monroe Palmer. Moved from another location, and then attached to another smaller house. Two story. Porch on three sides, on the first floor. Large addition on the rear side.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: June, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.

Milwaukee County

• Milwaukee. Octagon House. The Linus Dewey-Jenkins house. Also know as the Brown house. Built 1855. Now gone. Located at 1631 North Fourth Street. Two story, cupola, and porch on at least three sides. The chimneys and porch posts were octagonal.
  The following undated photographs are provided by the ELPuerzer archive:
  
  Photograph 1
  
  Photograph 2
  
  Photograph 3
  
  
  
  A sketch gives some idea of what the house looked like.
  
  Sources: Kevin Berner, Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: March, 2002 Updated: September, 2002
• Milwaukee. Octagon House. Built 1855, by Daniel Richards, who started the first Milwaukee newspaper. Located at 2443 N. Gordon Pl. Single story. Said to be one of three known to have been built in Milwaukee.
  The house was re-sided in 1970. This early photograph of the house, provided by the ELPuerzer archives, shows the house before it was re-sided. Probably much before.
  
  Photograph 1, perhaps taken in the 1950s.
  
  Photograph 2.
  
  Photograph 3.
  
  Photograph 4.
  
  Sources: Photo.; Ellen Puerzer, "More About Octagons," Carl F. Schmidt, Dale Travis, and Ron Buege.
  Entered: June, 2000.
  Updated: September, 2002.
  Updated: April, 2006.
• Milwaukee. Octagon House. Built before the Civil War, by candy maker George Gordon. The house and land were donated to Milwaukee, and became Gordon Park, and the house was torn down shortly thereafter. Single story.
  
  A photograph of the house is provided by the ELPuerzer archives.
  
  Source: Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: September, 2002.

Outagamie County.

• Grand Chute. Octagon House. Built in 1868. "Farm house of the late Porter Ballard." Current status and exact location unknown at present. Two story. Porch around at least five sides.
  
  Photograph. Date taken unknown.
  
  Source: R. Kline
  Entered: June, 2004.
• Hortonville. Octagon House. Built in 1865. The Nye/Hanson home, 124 W. Bath Street, WI, 54944. Two story, three porches, cupola removed in 1930 when a central chimney was added for furnace heat. Has a back addition.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Marily Hanson and Dale Travis.
  Entered: June, 2001.
  Updated: March, 2002.
  Updated: January, 2007.

Ozaukee County.

• North of Cedarburg. Octagon house. Single story. Was a school. An early photograph of the house is provided by the ELPuerzer archives.
  
  A contemporary photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Source: Dale Travis and Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.

Racine County.

• Racine. Octagon light house. Racine Reef Light House. Age unclear.
  
  Postcard.
  
  Source: Jerry Freeze.
  Entered: March, 2004.

Rock County.

• Milton. Hexagon house. Built 1844. Three story. Poured concrete wall construction. Now a museum. It's said that Orson Fowler researched his building materials at this site.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Photograph and history...
  
  Source: R. Kline and Dale Travis
  Entered: June, 2001.
  Updated: March, 2002.

Sauk County

• Near Sauk City. Round house. The Martin Zezh house. Built about 1931. Two story wood house with round cupola.
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  A sketch gives some idea of what the house looked like.
  Source: The Octagon Fad (photo), pp. 141, 180, and Kevin Berner.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.

Sheboygan County.

• Sheboygan Falls. Octagon house. Built in 1862. Razed in 1962. Single story. Brick construction.
  Source: R. Kline.
  Entered: September, 2002

St. Croix County

• Hudson. Octagon house. Built in 1855 ( some sources say 1854 ) by Phillip Brady for John Shaw Moffat and his wife and only daughter Mary: now headquarters of the St. Croix Valley Historical Society. Located at 1004 Third Street. Two story. The cupola was added in 1860, and at the same time the pitch of the roof was flattened some. A library and bedroom were added to the first floor around 1870. Originally wood sided, the stucco exterior was added in 1916.
  
  A segment of an 1870 map of Hudson shows the building at the center of the image. The addition shown in a more recent photograph ( a library and bedroom ) was already in place by 1870. The house has been kept up very well.
  
  Edgar Wright supplies the following history: "Visitor's Guide St. Croix Valley: History of the Octagon House In 1855, only 15 years after the first settlers landed on the shores of the Willow River, Judge John Moffit, a Hudson resident for one year, and his wife, moved into the octagon house he had built on the outskirts of town. Moffit and his descendants lived in the unusual eight-sided house until 1957. In 1964, the historical society purchased it and opened the museum the next year."
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Photograph - about 1877.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Photograph. When the small photograph was taken is unclear, but it appears to show the house with the original porch arrangement, before some sections were enclosed. As so often happens, a large number of attachments were made to the house over the years.
  
  Sources: L. List; L. Kestenbaum; The Octagon Fad, p. 121, Dale Travis, Edgar Wright, and Ron Beuge.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: April, 2006
  Updated: January, 2007.

Vernon County.

• Pleasant Valley. Octagon house.
  Source: "More About Octagons," Carl Schmidt.
  Entered: October, 2002.

Walworth County.

• Elkhorn. Octagon house. The Elderkin House. Built in 1856. Located at 127 S. Lincoln Street. Two story. Cupola. Porch on three sides. Brick. As shown in the photographs below, the house appears to be in wonderful condition.
  
  Photograph 1.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  The photographs below show the house from various views and various distances.
  
  Photograph 2.
  
  Photograph 3.
  
  Photograph 4.
  
  Photograph 5.
  
  Photograph 6.
  
  Photograph 7.
  
  Sources: Dale Travis and Ronald M. Buege.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: April, 2006
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Fontana. Octagon house. Appears to have been built around 1900. Two story. Two sides are elongated.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: June, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Genoa (Junction) City. Octagon house. Built in 1852. Owned, and built, by the father of W.J.Miller, who owned a carriage manufacturing company. Two story. Cupola. It stay in the family for over 100 years. Once a Wisconsin family Homestead, it eventually had to be sold for financial reasons. Now a restaurant, the basic shape of the original house has been preserved. Photos in the restaurant show the original owners, and the house over the years. An early rendering of the house, provided by the ELPuerzer achieve.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Brief article,Dale Travis, and Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: September, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Sharon. Octagon house. Built in 1855. Two story. Porch on three sides, with the third side running down the length of an extension on the house.In 2007 the current owner is in the process of doing significant renovations to the house, a process requiring a great deal of work, and sometimes, money.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Photograph showing the length of the third side of the porch.
  
  Sources: Dale Travis. Ryan, the current owner, supplied the additional photograph.
  Entered: June, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
  Updated: November, 2007.
• Whitewater. Octagon house. Built in 1855. Located at 127 Newcomb Street. Single story.
  
  Photograph 1.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Photograph 2
  
  Photograph 5
  
  Photograph 6
  
  Photograph 7
  
  Sources: Dale Travis and Ron Buege.
  Entered: July, 2002
  Updated: April, 2006
  Updated: January, 2007.

Waukesha County

• Merton. Octagon house. Built in 1860. Located at 6985 Main Street. Single story.
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  Source: Dale Travis.
  Entered: March, 2002
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Pewaukee. Deacon West octagon House. Built in 1856. Two story. Located at 370 High Street.
  
  Photograph 1.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Photograph 2
  
  Photograph 3
  
  Photograph 5
  
  Sources: Steve Spieckerman, Dale Travis, and Ron Buege.
  Entered: June, 2000.
  Updated: March, 2002.
  Updated: April, 2006.
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Waukesha. Octagon house. Now gone. Unusual architecture. At least three octagon structures in one house. Three story. The third story is elaborate, and appears to be Mansard architecture.
  A photograph of the house, provided by the ELPuerzer achieve.
  Source: Ellen Puerzer.
  Entered: September, 2002

Waupaca County.

• New London. Octagon House. Built about 1869. Located at 420 North Shawno. Wood, one story. Severely modified. New owned and operated by the New London Historical Society.
  
  An early photograph of the house, provided by the ELPuerzer achieve.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  and another brief article, photo, Dale Travis, and Ellen Puerzer.
  Updated: September, 2002.
  Updated: January, 2007.

Winnebago County.

• Neenah. Octagon House. Built around 1856, based on a floor plan by Edward Smith, who, with his brother Hiram, had moved to Neenah from Otsego County, New York. The house is in the process of being restored to its original condition. See a current photograph of the home and the current floor plan.
  
  Photograph.
  
  Larger version.
  
  
  Right side view..
  
  Sources: Jack Speech, with the Neenah Historical Society. Dale Travis and Terry Gunderson provide the photographs.
  Entered: December, 2001.
  Updated: August, 2005.
  Updated: January, 2007.
• Omro. Octagon House. Built in the 1860s. Located at 3880 East Second Street. Two story.
  
  The house was searched for by Ron Buege, Milwaukee, WI, in March, 2006, and was not found. Perhaps the location information is wrong. It's also possible the house was demolished at some point.
  Sources: R. Kline and Ron Buege.
  Entered: September, 2002.
  Updated: March, 2006.
• Oshkosh. Octagon House. Built in 1916. Located at 557 Pleasant Street. Two story. Now a duplex.
  
  A 1978 Photograph 1 of the house, provided by the ELPuerzer archive.
  
  Photograph 2
  
  Photograph 3
  
  Photograph 4
  
  Photograph 5
  
  Photograph 6
  
  Photograph 7
  
  Sources: John Archibald, Dale Travis, Ellen Puerzer, Ron Buege.
  Entered: February, 2002.
  Updated: March, 2002.
  Updated: September, 2002.
  Updated: April, 2006.