Octagon House (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)

Octagon House
Location 276 Linden St., Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA[1]
Coordinates 43°46′16″N 88°26′54″W / 43.77111°N 88.44833°W / 43.77111; -88.44833Coordinates: 43°46′16″N 88°26′54″W / 43.77111°N 88.44833°W / 43.77111; -88.44833
Built 1856
Architectural style Octagon Mode
NRHP Reference # 72000051[2]
Added to NRHP November 03, 1972

The Octagon House is a historic house located at 276 Linden Street in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[2] The house was featured as the second-most haunted house in Wisconsin on the History Channel show "Hidden Passages".[1]

History

Isaac Brown, a carpenter and trader with Native Americans, reportedly grew fearful of attacks from them in 1856, so he built a house that was designed for hiding. An Orson Fowler-designed eight-sided structure, it contained nine secret passageways and spaces.[1] A tunnel was built between the house and a woodshed, which was used as a safe house on the Underground Railway.[1][3] A small storage room beneath the front porch was used to hide the runaway slaves.[4] Brown gave the house to his son Edwin A. Brown as a wedding present. The younger Brown and his wife Ruth Edward (Pier) Brown had three children in the house. The house became a rental unit in 1900, and remained so until the late 1960s to early 1970s.[1]

Plans for a new high school threatened the house. Despite the house being on the National Register of Historic Places, no buyers were interested and it was days away from demolition. Local dressmaker and antiques dealer Marlene Hansen bought the house without viewing the interior. Hansen and her family restored the house, turning it into a historic and spooky tour house. In 2005 The Southern Wisconsin Paranormal Research Group studied the house and reported that they found paranormal activities there. "I can't tell what others have seen, felt, or experienced, but I can tell that they do experience something," Hansen said. "Their body language changes and I can see it in their faces."[1] Her grandson, who often gives tours of the house, has said that visitors have reported hearing sounds, including small children laughing and playing, and feeling cold hands touching them. Some people believe that the children are Edwin Brown's children.[1]

Features

The house has stucco walls, with four dormers, and a central chimney. It is now a museum.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kleine, Katie (October 26, 2008). "Haunted, historical journey for FDL's Octagon House". Action Sunday. pp. A1. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  2. 1 2 National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ "1856 Octagon House". Marlenesheirlooms.Com. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
  4. ↑ "House Holds Secrets". Milwaukee Journal. August 31, 1975.
  5. ↑ Travis, Dale (March 10, 2008). "Wisconsin Round Barns List". Retrieved 2008-06-20.
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