This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website

OCTAGON HOUSE TO CELEBRATE 150 YEARS

CONTACT PERSON: BILL JANNKE (920) 261-1176

Watertown, April 12----The Octagon House Museum, Watertown’s famed eight-sided landmark, will be opening its doors for touring on May 1st. This year the museum is marking a milestone: it is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its construction. To that end, the Watertown Historical Society, the organization that owns and maintains the historical home, is planning a number of special events to draw attention to the Octagon House, located at 919 Charles Street, Watertown.

These special events kick off on the weekend of April 24 - 25, with the Watertown Players’ production of “Alice In Wonderland” at the museum. The play, which is double cast, runs every 15 minutes throughout the days of the performances, beginning each day at noon and ending at 3:00. Following this special event, Randy Roeseler will address the Watertown Historical Society on Monday, April 26 at 7:00. The meeting will be held at Luther Prep School and his talk will concern itself with the history of the Octagon House. The general public is welcome at all public meetings of the historical society.

On June 27 a special outdoor tea will be held on the grounds of the Octagon House and on June 29th Clifford Lueck, well-known musician and collector of historic musical instruments will address the historical society and show off some of his recent acquisitions. A family reunion of descendants of the original owners of the Octagon House, the John & Eliza Richards family, will take place at the museum grounds on July 24th. On August 15th the annual ice cream social will take place, and once again the First Brigade Band will be on hand to perform civil war-era music.

On September 11th Bill Jannke will lead a tour of Oak Hill Cemetery. Author Linda Godfrey will address the historical society on September 14th and speak about her recent book “The Poison Widow” which deals with a notorious poisoning case in Whitewater, but which has some Watertown connections. Then on October 29 and 30th the Watertown Players will be back with a production of their classic comedy-mystery play “Dead Emma”, presented by candle-light in the museum. Randy Roeseler will then round out the season by addressing the historical society once more on celebrations at the Octagon House. The final event will be the annual holiday play presented as always by the Watertown Players. This year’s offering will be “A Colonial Christmas”. For more information on any of these events contact the Watertown Historical Society at (920) 261-2796.

The Octagon House was built in 1854 by pioneer settler John Richards. He arrived in what is now Watertown in the spring of 1837. After buying a small farm-stead located about where Settler’s Bay restaurant now sits, he went back to Massachusetts and proposed to his sweetheart, Eliza Forbes. She was the daughter of a prominent inn-keeper.

He promised her that if she agreed to accompany him back to the wilds of the Wisconsin territory he would build her the finest and most modern house he could. It took him twelve years to make good on his promise, but when it was finished it was a marvel of craftsmanship and it still elicits exclamations of amazement to visitors.

Built into the home (which was designed and over-seen by Richards himself) were rudimentary forms of running water, central air conditioning, and central heating. For 1854, these were unheard of luxuries. Perhaps the most note-worthy feature of the home, however, is the central cantilevered staircase which rises majestically 40 feet through the center of the house, ending at the cupola at the top. This staircase shows no sign of wear, despite 150 years of continuous use.

The home has five stories and visitors are treated to fully guided tours hourly. At present the hours of operation are 11:00 to 3:00. After Memorial Day, however, the museum goes to its summer hours, 10:00 to 4:00. Visitors to the Octagon House can also tour the First Kindergarten in America and the Plank Road Barn, both of which are located on the museum grounds.

Those coming to the Octagon House this year will be privileged to see the newly-restored front parlor. Last fall the room was re-wall papered by Ashburn Bucket and Brush Co. of Jefferson. Others helping out on the project include David Hertel, Chris Heins, and Sandi Haseleu. The project was over-seen by museum manager Linda Werth.

The Watertown Historical Society is currently undergoing a membership drive. Membership in the society is as follows: Single membership $12.00, couples, $18.00, family membership $27.00, patron membership is $50.00, and benefactor is $100.00 or more. Admission prices for the museum are as follows: adults, $7.00, senior citizens and members of AAA, $6.00, children, ages six through twelve, $4.00.