List of octagon houses

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This is a list of octagon houses. The style became popular in the United States and Canada following the publication of Orson Squire Fowler's 1848 book The Octagon House, A Home for All. In the United States, 68 surviving octagon houses are included on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The earliest and most notable octagon house in the Americas was Thomas Jefferson's 1806 Poplar Forest.

Octagon House in Watertown, Wisconsin, built 1853
David Van Gelder Octagon House in Catskill, New York, built 1860, photographed on January 13, 2008

Orson Squire Fowler's 1848 book The Octagon House, A Home for All and his "monumental" four-story, 60-room house built during 1848–1853, Fowler's Folly in Fishkill, New York, provided inspiration for a nationwide fad.[1] Fifty-nine of the sixty-six pre-Civil War houses on the NRHP were built between 1849 and 1861. It is reported that the owner of the first-built of these, the Rich-Twinn Octagon House in western New York, was impressed by seeing an octagon house in the Hudson River Valley, presumably Fowler's home under construction.[2]

Canada

At least 20 historic octagon houses are known to exist in Canada, distributed across four eastern provinces.[a] Extant octagon houses in Canada include the following:

  • Rupert Octagonal House (1855), Maple, at 2600 Major MacKenzie Drive (43°51′10″N 79°31′26″W), now Delano Academy[5]
  • Milton
  • Morton, northeast of Kingston, former octagon schoolhouse, also used as a residence
  • Mount Pleasant, Brant County: 646 Mount Pleasant Road, now used as a spa
  • Niagara Falls: Bradley Octagon House, built 1906, at 5783 Summer Street
  • Otterville: Woodlawn Octagon House, built 1861, moved from Millvale
  • Peel Region: 8280 Heritage Road, near Huttonville
  • Port Hope, built 1856
  • Picton, Prince Edward County, built ca. 1860
  • Westport, on Upper Rideau Lake

United States

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Notable octagon houses in the U.S. include the following, more than 80 in number, in date built order. The octagonal outlines of these houses may be seen in Google maps and other satellite photo services, by zooming in from satellite view above, to their locations. Specifically, almost all of the following listed ones are mapped and may be observed via satellite view in the Google external link here (click on "Map of all coordinates" to the right).[b]

Of these, six are further designated National Historic Landmarks of the United States: Armour-Stiner House in the Hudson River valley in New York, which is perhaps the only domed octagon house in the world; The Octagon House in Washington, D.C. (which is actually more of a hexagon), where President Madison lived after the White House was burnt by the British; Thomas Jefferson's retreat Poplar Forest; May's Folly in Georgia; Samuel Sloan-designed Longwood in Natchez, Mississippi, still unfinished after its construction was halted by the American Civil War; and Waverley, also in Mississippi.[6][7]

At least one of the houses has been claimed to have been used as "stations" sheltering escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad: the Octagon House in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin,[8][9] although that claim has been disputed.[10]

Including post-Civil War constructed houses, there are now at least 84 octagon houses that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[c][11]

Octagon houses were particularly popular in New York State. There were 120 octagon houses in New York State,[1][12] of which 13 are listed on the National Register and listed below.

In 1958 Carl F. Schmidt published The Octagon Fad which attempted to inventory the Fowler-inspired homes, most of which were built prior to 1915 in North America. However, only a small fraction of the total are notable and extant.[13]

New Jersey is believed to have had 46 octagon houses and octagon school houses, with 15 houses and one schoolhouse surviving in 2016.[14]

More information House name, Image ...
House name Image Date built Location County or equivalent State Description
Poplar Forest Poplar Forest, designed by Thomas Jefferson 1806 1548 Bateman Bridge Road, Forest, VA 24551 37.34826°N 79.26495°W / 37.34826; -79.26495 (Thomas Jefferson's Poplar House)[15] Lynchburg VA Retreat for, and designed by, Thomas Jefferson, NRHP
The Glebe (Arlington, Virginia) The Glebe 1815 4527 17th St., N., Arlington
38°53′30″N 77°7′4″W		 Arlington VA NRHP
May's Folly May's Folly, at 527 First Avenue 1829 527 1st Ave., Columbus, Georgia
32°27′21″N 84°59′37″W		 Muscogee GA NRHP
Waverley (West Point, Mississippi) 1840 West Point
33°34′9″N 88°30′13″W		 Clay MS NRHP
T. R. R. Cobb House T. R. R. Cobb House 1842 194 Prince Ave., Athens
33°57′40″N 83°22′54″W		 Clarke GA NRHP
Yale-Cady Octagon House and Yale Lock Factory Site 1849 7550 N. Main St., Newport
43°11′34″N 75°1′6″W		 Herkimer NY NRHP
Rich-Twinn Octagon House 1849 145 Main Street, Akron
43°1′19″N 78°29′44″W		 Erie NY NRHP
Capt. Rodney J. Baxter House 1850 South and Pearl Sts., Barnstable
41°39′0″N 70°17′6″W		 Barnstable MA Only surviving house credited by NRHP to Orson Squire Fowler. Concrete walls. Property includes an octagonal carriage house as well.
Edward A. Brackett House 1850 290 Highland Ave., Winchester
42°27′0″N 71°7′45″W		 Middlesex MA NRHP
James Coolidge Octagon House 1850 7271 Main St., Madison

42°53′52.82″N 75°31′1.6″W

 Madison NY Rare example of Octagon house that is also a cobblestone house.
Dubois-Sarles Octagon 1850 16 South St., Marlboro
41°36′2″N 73°58′27″W		 Ulster NY Rare octagon house with sidehall interior plan (NRHP)
Octagon Cottage (Rocky Hill, Kentucky) 1850 Near Rocky Hill
36°58′10″N 86°2′44″W		 Barren KY NRHP
Jacob Woodruff House 1850 610 Liberty Street Ripon
43°50′52″N 88°50′49″W		 Fond du Lac WI NRHP
Enoch Fuller House 1850 72 Pine St., Stoneham
42°28′32″N 71°5′55″W		 Middlesex MA NRHP
William Bryant Octagon House 1850 2 Spring Street, Stoneham
42°28′54″N 71°5′40″W		 Middlesex MA NRHP
Elias Crawford House 1851 3 Norwood St., Worcester
42°15′10″N 71°49′9″W		 Worcester MA NRHP
The Octagon 1852 297 East Perry Street, Tiffin
41°7′0″N 83°10′5″W		 Ohio OH NRHP
Octagon House (Danbury, Connecticut) 1852 21 Spring Street, Danbury
41°23′42″N 73°27′34″W		 Fairfield CT NRHP. Considered best example of style among Connecticut's remaining octagon houses.
2130 East Broad Street 1853 2130 East Broad Street, Bexley, Ohio
39.9691°N 82.944°W / 39.9691; -82.944 (2130 East Broad Street, Bexley, OH)		 Franklin OH [16][17]
Octagon House (Watertown, Wisconsin) 1853 919 Charles St., Watertown, Wisconsin
43°11′5.03″N 88°42′27.31″W		 Jefferson WI NRHP
Estabrook Octagon House 1853 8 River St., Hoosick Falls
42°53′47″N 73°21′11″W		 Rensselaer NY NRHP. One of the few remaining octagon houses built in strict compliance with Fowler's theories, other than the use of Rosendale cement.
Williams and Stancliff Octagon Houses 1853 26 and 28 Marlborough Street, Portland
41°34′21″N 72°38′20″W		 Middlesex CT Two octagon houses, side-by-side (Northern on pictured). NRHP
Denton Octagon House 1853 760 Castle Street, Geneva Ontario NY (Not NRHP)
Charles Lawton House 1853 East side of the road at 416 S. Corey St. on NE corner of Corey & Washington Sts.Griggsville, IL Griggsville IL Stucco over brick construction
John Gibbs House 1853 1038 Dark Moon Road, Johnsonburg
40°58′07″N 74°52′05″W		 Warren County NJ Gothic Revival. NRHP contributing property in Johnsonburg Historic District
Currier House (Almont, Michigan) Currier Octagon House Almont, MI 1854 231 E St. Clair Street, Almont
42°55′14″N 83°3′42″W		 Lapeer MI Registered Michigan Historical Site and current offices of Four County Community Foundation
Clarence Darrow Octagon House 1854 8405 Main Street, Kinsman
41°26′59″N 80°35′5″W		 Trumbull OH Boyhood home of lawyer Clarence Darrow, made of chestnut logs and concrete. NRHP
Andrew Gildersleeve Octagonal Building 1854 Main Rd. and Love Lane, Mattituck
40°59′28″N 72°31′25″W		 Suffolk NY NRHP
Pressey House 1854 287 Summer St., Oakland
44°32′28″N 69°43′30″W		 Kennebec ME NRHP
Henry H. Smith/J.H. Murphy House 1854 512 E. 6th St., Davenport
41°31′34″N 90°34′3″W		 Scott IA NRHP
Garret Rickards House 1854 211 Cornelia St., Boonton
40°54′23″N 74°24′32″W		 Morris NJ Italianate. NRHP contributing property in Boonton Historic District
Nathaniel Myers House 1854 224 Cornelia St., Boonton
40.906873°N 74.408953°W / 40.906873; -74.408953 (Nathaniel Myers House, Boonton, NJ)		 Morris NJ Italianate, now rectory of St. John's Episcopal Church. NRHP contributing property in Boonton Historic District
Wildfell 1854 NW of Darlington on U.S. 1
39°39′4″N 76°13′11″W		 Harford MD NRHP
Hall-Crull Octagonal House 1855 North of Rushville
39°44′39″N 85°23′10″W		 Rush IN NRHP
Richard Barker Octagon House 1855 312 Plantation Street, Worcester
42°16′11″N 71°46′16″W		 Worcester MA NRHP
Capt. George Scott House 1855 Federal St., Wiscasset
44°0′27″N 69°39′35″W		 Lincoln ME NRHP
Jenkins Octagon House 1855 NY 395, Duanesburg
42°45′31″N 74°11′7″W		 Schenectady NY NRHP, designed and built by Alexander Delos "Boss" Jones
Inkwell (Lake Landing, North Carolina) 1855 E of Lake Landing at 30868 US 264, Lake Landing Township, Engelhard
35°29′5″N 76°3′11″W		 Hyde NC NRHP
Dr. Buck-Stevens House 1855 W. Main St., Brasher Falls
44°48′27″N 74°46′32″W		 St. Lawrence NY NRHP
Shute Octagon House 1855 McGuire School Road, Duanesburg
42°46′28″N 74°13′10″W		 Schenectady NY NRHP, designed and built by Alexander Delos "Boss" Jones
John S. Moffat House 1855 1004 3rd Street Hudson
44°58′51″N 92°45′19″W		 St. Croix WI NRHP
Sinnett Octagon House 1855 Muscatine
41°27′11″N 91°1′50″W		 Muscatine IA NRHP
Silas Field House 1855 63 Elmwood Ave. Providence RI Built by "an aristocratic jeweler named Silas Field"[18]
Miles B. Lawson House 1855 669 Public St Providence RI
Frazier-Pressly House 1987 HABS photo 1856 Abbeville County
34°04′55.7″N 82°18′07.9″W		 Abbeville SC NRHP contributing property
Palmer-Gullickson Octagon House 1856 358 Leonard St., West Salem
43°54′5″N 91°4′54″W		 La Crosse WI NRHP
Deacon West Octagon House On a Pewaukee morning 1856 370 High St., Pewaukee
43°5′16″N 88°15′54″W		 Waukesha WI NRHP
Langworthy House 1856 1095 W. 3rd St., Dubuque
42°29′42″N 90°40′45″W		 Dubuque IA NRHP
Lukens Pierce House 1856 NW of Ercildoun on Wilmington Rd., Ercildoun
39°57′9″N 75°51′0″W		 Chester PA NRHP
Octagon House (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) 1856 276 Linden St., Fond du Lac
43°46′15.97″N 88°26′54.03″W		 Fond du Lac WI Claimed to be haunted, has passageways claimed to be "secret", and claimed to have been used as a safe house on the Underground Railway (although Underground Railway claim has been especially strongly disputed).[10] NRHP
George F. Lee Octagon Houses 1856 South of Nebraska City
40°34′19″N 95°48′10″W		 Otoe NE NRHP
Wilcox Octagon House Wilcox Octagon House in 2007 1856 5420 W. Genesee St., Camillus
43°2′28″N 76°16′42″W		 Onondaga NY Camillus Historical Society occupies it today. NRHP
Stephen Harnsberger House 1856 Holly Ave., Grottoes
38°16′30″N 78°49′49″W		 Rockingham VA NRHP
Abijah Thomas House 1856 SW of Marion on VA 657, Marion
36°46′27″N 81°34′13″W		 Smyth County VA NRHP
Hiram Smith House 1856 336 Main Street or 343 Smith Street, Neenah
44°11′10″N 88°28′7″W		 Winnebago WI NRHP
Edward Elderkin House 1856 127 S. Lincoln St., Elkhorn
42°40′5″N 88°33′9″W		 Walworth WI NRHP
James L. Lawther House 1857 927 W. 3rd St., Red Wing
44°33′43″N 92°32′27″W		 Goodhue MN NRHP
Feusier Octagon House 1857 1067 Green Street, San Francisco
37.798543°N 122.416679°W / 37.798543; -122.416679 (Feusier Octagon House, San Francisco, CA)		 San Francisco CA NRHP
Albert S. Potter Octagon House 1857 4 Carolina Main Street, Richmond Washington County RI NRHP contributing property (Carolina Village Historic District)
Wallingford Octagon House ca. 1857 37 New Place Street, Wallingford New Haven County CT Historic Buildings of CT
Norrish House 1858 West 2nd Street and Spring Street Hastings
44°44′38.5″N 92°51′20″W		 Dakota County MN NRHP contributing property
Hiram Ramsdell House 1858 High and Perham Sts., Farmington
44°40′17″N 70°8′59″W		 Franklin ME NRHP
Capt. Josiah E. Chase Octagon House 1858 Chase Mill Road, East Limington
43°43′39″N 70°39′40″W		 York ME NRHP
Prime-Octagon House 1859 41 Prime Ave., Huntington
40°52′28″N 73°25′23″W		 Suffolk NY NRHP
Timothy M. Younglove Octagon House 1859 8329 Pleasant Valley Road, Urbana
42°24′17″N 77°14′37″W		 Steuben NY NRHP
Zelotes Holmes House 1986 HABS photo 1859 619 East Main Street, Laurens, South Carolina
34°29′57″N 82°0′5″W		 Laurens SC Believed to be the first concrete house erected in South Carolina; NRHP
Gutherie Octagon House 1850s Westland Wayne MI Now part of The Westland Historic Village Park, the central portion of the house was built in the 1850s. The two wings were added in the 1930s. The Gutherie family was, and still is, in the lumber industry, which explains the use of Chinese Hemlock on the inside of the house.
Armour-Stiner House 1860 45 W. Clinton Ave., Irvington
41.030803°N 73.870415°W / 41.030803; -73.870415 (Armour-Stiner House)		 Westchester NY Also known as the Carmer Octagon House for 20th Century owner, noted writer Carl Carmer. It may be the only domed octagon house in the world. NRHP
David Van Gelder Octagon House 1860 47 Division St., Catskill
42°13′4″N 73°52′26″W		 Greene NY NRHP
Gen. Francis H. West House 1860 1410 17th Avenue Monroe
42°35′53″N 89°38′15″W		 Green WI NRHP
Octagon House (Barrington, Illinois) 1860 223 W. Main St., Barrington
42°9′15.17″N 88°8′25.65″W		 Cook IL NRHP
Octagon House (Reading, Massachusetts) 1860 97 Pleasant St., Reading
42°31′26″N 71°6′3″W		 Middlesex MA A Carpenter Gothic house that is also octagonal. NRHP
Wallace-Jagdfeld Octagon House 1860 171 Forest Ave., Fond du Lac
43°46′44″N 88°27′13″W		 Fond du Lac WI NRHP
Newton Homestead 1860 Ridge Rd., South Otselic
42°39′4″N 75°47′8″W		 Chenango NY NRHP
Charles Butler House (Franklin, Ohio) 1860 13 E. Jackson St., Franklin
39°33′52″N 84°18′0″W		 Warren OH NRHP
John Hosford House 1860 64 Sandusky St., Monroeville
41°14′44″N 82°41′46″W		 Huron OH NRHP
David Cummins Octagon House 1860 301 Liberty Street, Conneaut
41°56′28″N 80°33′26″W		 Ashtabula OH NRHP
Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi) 1860 Natchez
31°32′12″N 91°24′17″W		 Adams MS Antebellum mansion, interior unfinished as construction was suspended at outbreak of American Civil War. NRHP
Loren Andrus Octagon House Photo taken in 1996 1860 57500 Van Dyke Street, Washington
42°43′6″N 83°2′6″W		 Macomb MI NRHP
Borden Farm Stable House 1860 621 May Road, Thompson
41°48′48″N 75°29′3″W		 Susquehanna PA Built as a stable, converted to a house.[19]
Jeremiah Schellinger House 1860 1386 Lafayette Street, Cape May
38°56′45″N 74°54′42″W		 Cape May NJ Italianate. NRHP contributing property in Cape May Historic District
Octagon House (Westfield, Massachusetts) 1861 28 King Street, Westfield
42°7′17″N 72°45′19″W		 Hampden MA NRHP
Petty-Roberts-Beatty House 1859–61 103 N. Midway, Clayton
31°52′43″N 85°26′58″W		 Barbour AL NRHP. One of only two known to have been built in Alabama. The other, the Lane House, has been destroyed.
McElroy Octagon House 1861 2645 Gough Street, San Francisco
37.797842°N 122.427328°W / 37.797842; -122.427328 (McElroy Octagon House, San Francisco, CA)		 San Francisco CA NRHP; Structural concrete construction
Octagon Hall 1862 Franklin, Kentucky vic.
36°48′25″N 86°33′25″W		 Simpson KY NRHP-listed
Lyman White House 1862[20] 127 N. Newcomb St. Whitewater WI Small two-story frame octagonal house.[21][20]
Nathan B. Devereaux Octagon House The McElroy Octagon House in Gough St. Northfield Township, Michigan 1864 66425 Eight Mile Road, Northfield Township
42°25′46″N 83°41′56″W		 Washtenaw MI NRHP
The Pratt and Buckingham Octagon House The Pratt and Buckingham octagon house 1865 99 Chestnut Street, Fredonia
42°26′18″N 79°20′17″W		 Chautauqua NY House and carriage house of concrete construction; house closely followed Fowler floor plans.
William Waterfield House 1867 308 3rd St., S., Raymond
42°27′54″N 92°13′11″W		 Black Hawk IA NRHP
Randall House 1870 5927 Treasurer Rd., Mayville
43°20′22″N 83°19′20″W		 Tuscola MI NRHP
Chickasaw Octagon House 1871 Court Street, Chickasaw Township
43°2′11″N 92°29′58″W		 Chickasaw IA NRHP
Nathanial Brittan Party House Nathanial Brittan Party House 1872 125 Dale Avenue

37°30′02″N 122°16′15″W

 San Carlos CA NRHP, Victorian-style, two-and-a-half story redwood framed structure with an octagonal folly.
Jane Ross Reeves Octagon House Photographed in 2012 1879 400 Railroad Street, Shirley
39°53′26″N 85°34′37″W		 Hancock IN NRHP
Clapp Octagon House 1880 St. Augustine
29.887346°N 81.288877°W / 29.887346; -81.288877 (Clapp Octagon House, St. Augustine, FL)		 St. Johns FL (not NRHP)
Ezekiel B. Zimmerman Octagon House 1883 Near Marshallville
40°55′22″N 81°45′47″W		 Wayne OH NRHP
Dr. Nathan and Lula Cass House 1885 502 N. Travis Ave., Cameron
30°50′44″N 96°58′38″W		 Milam TX NRHP
Robert Waugh House 1886 202 School St., Sparland
41°01.759′N 89°26.43′W		 Marshall IL NRHP
Judge Henry L. Benson House 1892 137 High St., Klamath Falls
42°13′25″N 121°47′7″W		 Klamath OR NRHP
Longfellow-Hastings House 1893 Heritage Square
3800 Homer St., Los Angeles
34°05′17.5″N 118°12′30.7″W		 Los Angeles CA NRHP

Located at 85 S. Allen Ave., Pasadena at time of placement on NRHP
34°8′40″N 118°6′45″W

Hattie O. and Henry Drake Octagon House 1893 605 3rd Street, SW, Huron
44°21′49″N 98°13′26″W		 Beadle SD NRHP
William H. McCreery House 1900 746 N. Washington Ave., Loveland
40°23′57″N 105°4′10″W		 Larimer CO NRHP
Arthur W. and Chloe B. Cole House 1901 5803 Rocky Branch Rd., Houston, Missouri
37°15′42″N 92°1′58″W		 Texas MO NRHP
George H. Gallup House 1901 703 S. Chestnut Street, Jefferson, Iowa Greene IA NRHP, boyhood home of George Gallup
Hobbit House 1907 821 Lincoln Pl., Boulder, Colorado
40°00′08.5″N 105°16′53.3″W		 Boulder CO Built by brick mason Benjamin Franklin Gregg for Oliver and Mary DeMotte. Duplex with independent basement and main unit, 6 bedroom/4 bathroom underwent major remodel in 2019-20 after lengthy permitting process with the city of Boulder, preserving original stone foundation and footprint, exterior lines and features. Only octagon house in the state of Colorado. House was named by the 1st group of CU Boulder students to live there after the remodel, due to unusual semi-circle door and windows and inordinate number of stairs with low headers leading to basement.[22]
Other C. Wamsley House 1909 200 N. 5th St., Hamilton
46°14′54″N 114°9′37″W		 Ravalli MT NRHP
Gallaher House 1914 600 12th St., Mansfield
48°0′28″N 119°40′31″W		 Douglas WA NRHP
Chemosphere 1960 Los Angeles Los Angeles CA
The Ocho 1963 21 Cascade Walk
37.75414°N 122.47009°W / 37.75414; -122.47009 (The Ocho)		 San Francisco CA As briefly seen in Dirty Harry
Armory Revival Octagon House Octagon House Providence RI built 1988 1988 68-76 Harrison St
41°48′53.1″N 71°25′45.1″W		 Providence RI 4 Condominium duplex apartments with separate entrances. Located in the Broadway-Armory Historic District
8273 Alloway Road, Lyons, New York Wayne NY Rare cobblestone octagon house built originally at least partially as a blacksmith shop, per this source.[23]
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Notable former octagon houses

More information House name, Image ...
House name Image Date built Location County or equivalent State Description
Fowler's Folly 1853 Fishkill Dutchess NY Octagonal home of Orson Squire Fowler, built 1848–1853, condemned as a public health hazard and dynamited in 1897.[24]
Russell Octagon House 1859 Bloomfield Davis IA NRHP; removed from NRHP in 1998 due to deterioration and lack of maintenance.[25]
John Wood Octagonal House 1864 Quincy Adams IL Built by the town's founder, John Wood, later the governor of Illinois, at a cost said of $200,000. Demolished in the 1950s or 1960s
Octagonal House 1875 Ames Story IA Constructed in the 1870s, demolished in 1982. Namesake and original location of The Octagon Center for the Arts.[26]
Octagon House (Stamford, Connecticut) N.A. 120 Strawberry Hill Avenue, Stamford
41°3′50.29″N 73°32′7.49″W		 Fairfield CT NRHP; destroyed by fire in 1985.
Octagon house Fort Atkinson Fort Atkinson Jefferson WI Photo shows former existence.[27]
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See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    In Canada, the octagon house craze also engendered an octagonal deadhouse phenomenon. This included octagonal deadhouses, pre-burial edifices, built in the mid-to-late 19th century along Yonge Street in south-central Ontario, from just north of Toronto to Aurora. At least 3 octagon houses are classified as heritage sites, one in Richmond Hill and the other in King.
  2. [b]
    The Google external link provides a U.S. map showing the locations of 85 of the houses listed below. Not included are any houses for which latitude and longitude coordinates are not available. Zooming in, and switching to "Satellite View", you may observe the octagonal outline of the houses, exactly at, or very near to the flagged locations. For a few sites, however, Google does not provide satellite view coverage in sufficient detail.
  3. [c]
    That there are 84 NRHP octagon houses is documented by National Register reports identifying the below-listed properties as having "Octagon mode" architecture, or other indications of octagon house nature for these listed properties. Also, eight historic districts are noted to contain octagon houses as contributing properties, which may include others not listed here.

References

External links

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