"RESTORATION OF WOODLAWN PLACE

An octagonal, board and batten cottage once sat among the trees, on the
edge of a high bank of the Otter River, at Milldale. Thomas Wright built
the house in 1861, and named it "Woodlawn Place." It was occupied by the
Wright family until the turn of the century. During this period,
Milldale was a flourishing hamlet with mills, a Quaker Church, School,
store and Thos. Wright's wood-turning shop. The road to the miIIs ran by
his octagonal house.

However, when the mills ceased to operate, the road was closed and the
house was no longer in view of passers by. In the 1900's it was known
mainly to the friends and neighbours of John Oddy and family who then
lived in it. In 1959 John Oddy passed away, and Mrs. Oddy went to live
with her son, leaving the house vacant.

Without the tender loving care, that its two owners had given it, it
soon fell into disrepair; and such was its state when Mr. and Mrs. McKay
Davis bought the property in 1969 in order to build their new home. Due
to its location this unique building has been unknown to historical
architects and relatively unknown to many local residents.

In the spring of 1975 a group of local citizens became interested in the
house and approached the Davis' about its future. Mr. and Mrs. Davis
offered to donate the house to Norwich Township to be restored in the
area. With the guidance of Mrs. E. C. Smale, a director of the Ontario
Heritage Foundation, a study was made on the possible uses and
feasibility of moving and restoring the house.

A new site had to be found and it was provided by the township at the
west end of Otterville. The land was historic, in itself, being the site
of the first church in the area; the Quaker Church (1819-1903). It was
decided that the house would be best suited for an adult community
centre. With the co-operation of the South Norwich Leisure Club, and a
grant for equipment from New Horizons, a permanent ac¬tivity centre for
the senior citizens of the area was underway.

Finally in September, a proposal was submitted to the Ontario Heritage
Foundation for funding. On acceptance of the proposal a cheque for
$20,000 was forthcoming to commence moving and restoring in the autumn.

An application was made to Wintario for additional funding which had to
be matched by local contributions. A bike-a-thon was held in June of
1976 and a community auction was held in the fall of the same year. With
the help of both private donations and those from organizations, the
local contributions were well underway.

The house was not moved until May 1976. After reaching its new site, in
three pieces, it was reunited. A foundation was built under it and
restoration began. The windows had to be replaced with replicas, and the
lath and plaster was removed to make way for insulation. Several minor
alterations were made to accommodate the new use.

As this was being done, various original constructional features were
revealed and these were reinstated. Also dates and signatures in the
handwriting of Thomas Wright appeared in the plaster and on partitions,
baseboard and trim.

With advice from Ontario Heritage and Mrs. Duncan, the Ontario Museum's
Advisor, along with the supervision of Mr. Rod Taylor, and the labour of
local contractors and volunteer workers, the restoration was completed.


OCTAGONAL BUILDINGS & THOMAS WRIGHT

One might wonder why anyone would build an octagonal house, and perhaps,
what sort of man built this unusual structure.

To help understand why, one would have to become acquainted with Dr.
Orson Fowler's book, "The Octagon House - A Home for All," which was
written in 1853. Dr. Fowler was a phrenologist who believed that every
man could be his own architect. No apprenticeship was necessary
according to Dr. Fowler as long as a man was endowed with,
"phrenological organs of inhabitiveness (love of home), and
constructiveness (the ability to build)."

Orson Fowler felt that since nature makes 10,000 curvilinear figures to
every one square figure, why not apply the spherical form to
architecture. He believed spherical forms to be far more beautiful than
square forms.

On the practical side, Dr. Fowler states that eight sided dwellings (the
next best thing to spherical) contain 1/5th more room for the amount of
wall than rectangular dwellings. The octagonal house requires fewer
steps for housework, is easier to heat and receives more light from the
sun. In addition the circular plan allows for cozy friendlier
entertaining, and does not leave the poor housewife apart in the kitchen
wing.

If these are not enough reasons for switching to Fowler's octagonal
building, picture yourself with the new convenience of warming yourself
facing your central heating, and having the light from the windows
behind you to light your book for reading!

Consequently this book exerted a tremendous influence on American
architecture. At least 1000 buildings sprung up, all embodying the ideas
of the author, and bearing testimony to the powerful influence of the book.

It would seem that Thomas Wright, an Irish immigrant who married a
Quaker from New York State, was also influenced by Fowler's book. Thomas
Wright was described as a man quiet in manner and of a highly
intellectual temperament. He was a lover of nature and an amateur poet
as demonstrated by his poem "To a Witch Hazel." He was also noted for
his original mechanical genius and especially for his craftsmanship with
wood.

A study of Mr. Wright's house seems to point to the conclusion that he
was able to use the arguments of Fowler's that he thought practical for
his purpose and means while using his own creative ability.

Thomas Wright differed from Dr. Fowler on two main points. Firstly, he
did not provide closets which Fowler advocated. Also, he built an
extension, creating a trapezoid porch, and Dr. Fowler disliked
extensions. The extension provided the traditional woodshed and summer
kitchen, which Fowler designed in the basement storey.

Amongst the trees, near his home, Mr. Wright built a lovely little
octagonal garden house or gazebo. This later came to be known as the
"Bee House."

Thomas Wright not only showed his ingenuity in his architecture, but in
his workshop, where he designed unique garden furniture of sliced boughs
as well as fine furniture. Using burled wood, he created many useful and
decorative articles. The machinery in his shop was turned by water power.

In Lovell's Directory of 1871, Thomas Wright was proprietor of the "New
Dominion Spinning Wheel" business. Albert, his oldest son, was his
agent. This spinning wheel is believed to be the one shown in an old
family picture. The design allowed the spinner to sit at a large wool
wheel, moving the spindle back and forth with a foot pedal.

Thomas Wright and his wife, the former Mary Jane Barker, came to
Milldale in 1853. Mary Jane's brother William P. Barker was the owner of
grist, saw and woolen mills here. With them came their four children -
Albert, Ella, Emma, and Newton who were all born on a farm six miles
north of London. The youngest child Elisa was born at Milldale.

Thomas was 45 years of age when he built his octagonal house. He died in
1898 at age 84. His wife predeceased him by three years.

Albert and Newton Wright had worked with their father for many years.
Albert moved to Norwich after his father died. Newton and his family
moved to Woodstock, about this time, where he and his oldest son Alvin
continued to produce wagon hubs, spokes and other items."