Reviews of Octagon House (Museum)

Keri Klein

Fascinating place.. A 'must see' in Watertown

Denali Bruce

This is a very cool place to visit, lots of history and the guides know a ton! Maybe not the most entertaining for little kids but still a very beautiful place to see.

Sarah Aronson

LOVED THIS PLACE!!!! I have lived in Wisconsin all my life and this was my first time here. Everyone should come visit at least once. Well worth the money. We had the guide all to ourselves so that made it very special and easy to hear also

Alexander Grange

History come alive!

Helen Hillstrom

Friendly and knowledgeable tour guide. House is nicely furnished with original and period furniture.

Donna Hatzinger

Interesting architecture and history

Martin Sauceda

I like her house but I like my Octagon house better. Haha

Carrie Bautch

If you love history, a marvel of architecture and tour guides dressed in period clothes, you can't miss The House!!

Mitchell Roeglin

Yeah it's pretty lit ig. Think i saw a deal go down there but it was chill

Zachary Blomberg

You arent allowed to sit on any of the chairs, and there are no chairs so yea. otherwise it was good.

Denise Bilton

Great history.

Jim Knuth

Fun and full of interesting things.

Mary Neubaum

1st Kidnagarden was started and relocated in the USA in Watertown.

Phillip Kolter

Unique experience. A visit well worth it if you find architecture fascinating.

Heather Bouchette

Gorgeous historical monument.

Karen Stackle

Loved the experience with grandsons

Kelsey Marcks

Great place

Christine Von WolfenStein

Definitely worth a visit.

Audrey Misiura

Very interesting!

Patty Kihslinget

Spectacular!

Fiona Maxwell

I love visiting Watertown's past at the Octagon House.

DommY CS

Saw the annual performance of their Christmas show they have. The show was "A Christmas Carol" and the actors performed throughout the house and it was probably the best way to spend a few bucks this Holiday that I can think of. The actors were incredible and the show was very personable. Will be back next year! Hidden gem.

JAMES ROMLEIN

Excellent example of period building, furniture, and clothing in this unique structure. Knowledgeable friendly staff. Additional information available from the Watertown Historical Society on-site.

Salty Panda

Great tour, unique history. Beautiful home.

Kristen Patz

Fascinating place, lots of stairs, great tour guide.

Larry Feiler

The history is absolutely great my ten-year-old granddaughter enjoyed it so much was able to ask a lot of questions and our tour guide was extremely good very knowledgeable of the home. I would definitely recommend taking the time 2 look at this historic Landmark in Watertown Wisconsin.

judy thornber

A magical place with so much history to tell and authentically preserved.

Riley Rennhack

let me touch the stuff

Gloria Ebert

First kindergarten in America.

Margaret Namio

Beautiful piece of Watertown history. Well worth a visit!

M VB

Toured the house today with my Mom (it was her 2nd time there) and my 10 year old. I was very impressed and in aww about the history inside those walls!! I will definitely be there to visit again and I plan to take my husband with me next time!!

Robin Magnuson

Interesting built house and historical memorabilia.

Jennifer Huckleberry

Not free admission. Was looking for free stuff to do.

Lynn Meyers

Great house.

Beth Hall

Very interesting!

Bear Hanson

Very interesting and great history !

Matthew Palmer

Great staff!

Jonathan Lampe

Unique collection of local Watertown history, including America's first Kindergarten, the "plank road" tollway of the 1800's, and of course, the huge Octagon House and all its porches, doors and innovations (for the time).

Jim Mitchell

First Kindergarten in America!

A. Gadient

(Translated by Google) Octagon House in Watertown, Wisconsin is a historic brick building completed in 1854. John Richards, one of the pioneers of Watertown, had designed and planned it himself. The building was one of the largest pre-Civil War family houses in Wisconsin. The roof structure has five floors. Richards came to Watertown in 1837. He was the first lawyer on the ground and owner of several mills, so a very wealthy man. In 1849, he married Elizabeth Forbes, who promised to build the most beautiful house in Wisconsin. Octagone (octagonal) house shapes can be found in different places in the US, but they rarely remained. Richards house was also very advanced in its interior design, as it has central heating, running water and ventilation systems. A spiral staircase that leads from the first floor to the tower room additionally distinguishes the object in its own way. The descendants of the Richards family lived until 1937 in the house. The attempt to sell it then turned out to be difficult. The town, offered to the Richards family for $ 1, declined to buy, though the house has long since become a Watertown landmark. The still young Watertown Historical Society offered to buy the Richards family and agreed that it would always be used as a museum in the future. Since 1938, the Octagon House has been open to the public as a museum. The maintenance of the building is also financed by various events taking place here. An architecturally and historically remarkable object, fortunately preserved. (Original) Das Octagon House in Watertown, Wisconsin, ist ein historisches Gebäude aus Backstein, das 1854 fertiggestellt wurde. John Richards, einer der Pioniere die die Siedlung Watertown gründeten, hatte es selbst entworfen und geplant. Das Gebäude war eines der grössten Einfamilienhäuser aus der Zeit vor dem Bürgerkrieg in Wisconsin. Mit dem Dachaufbau weist es fünf Etagen auf. Richards kam 1837 zu Fuss nach Watertown. Er war der erste Anwalt vor Ort und Besitzer mehrer Mühlen, also ein recht vermögender Mann. 1849 heiratete er Elizabeth Forbes, der er versprach das schönste Haus in Wisconsin zu bauen. Octagone (achteckige) Häuserformen kann man in den USA an verschiedenen Orten vorfinden, wobei sie eher selten blieben. Richards Haus war auch in seinem Innenausbau sehr fortschrittlich, so wie's es etwa eine Zentralheizung, fliessendes Wasser und Lüftungssysteme auf. Eine Wendeltreppe, die vom ersten Stock bis zum Turmzimmer führt, zeichnet das Objekt in seiner Eigenart zusätzlich aus. Die Nachkommen der Familie Richards wohnten noch bis 1937 in dem Haus. Der Versuch es zu verkaufen, gestaltete sich dann etwas schwierig. Die Stadt, der es von der Familie Richards zu 1 Dollar angeboten wurde, lehnte den Kauf ab, obwohl das Haus längst zu einem Wahrzeichen von Watertown wurde. Die noch junge Watertown Historical Society bot der Familie Richards den Kauf an und vereinbarte, dass es künftig immer als Museum genutzt wird. Seit 1938 ist das Octagon House als Museum der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Der Unterhalt des Gebäudes wird auch durch verschiedene Veranstaltungen die hier stattfinden, finanziert. Ein architektonisch und historisch doch bemerkenswertes Objekt, das glücklicherweise erhalten wurde.

Adam Meyer

Cool place to visit

Ricky Garcia

Very nice staff

Christopher Wolter

Wonderful Historic place.

Don Rose

We were there for their annual outdoor antique & art show. It was a good mix of mostly good quality stuff. We bought two old barn loft ladders from a sweet, headscarf-wearing octagenerian who had lots packed in her big white van. She was very knowledgeable & drove a hard bargain. The weather was great, but mosquitoes were a bit annoying. Octagon House, built in 1854, is a five story brick mansion, given in the 1930s to the fledgling local history group. LOTS of interesting history & artifacts remain here. Worth a few hours, even when nothing's going on on the lawn.

Jon Hardy

Lots of Watertown history. Really interesting!

Marilyn Gill

I love history and it is a very historical house.

Bob Bliese

Enjoyed the history lesson. Docent was first-rate.

Miss Katrina Klein

Interesting, a little lacking in real history. Pictures of people that are not family members, smells overwhelmingly musty worse than a typical older home. Hot as hell, and many many stairs. Blocked off with ropes which is necessary BUT over 4 people, forget it, way too crowded and hot. Not worth the money.

Terry Mayo

A great piece of history. And the very first kindergarten is on the same property!!

Heath Pein

A nice little museum with alot of local history

Mark Hady

Went there for electrical inspection

Brady Harper

It is a lovely piece of history. Too bad it js closed most of the time. I wasnt able to go inside because it was only open on the weekends

Caleb Brockway

Cool place with a cool story.

A Marquis

Awesome house plus, the first kindergarten?!? C'mon.

Bob Bredeson

Very nice tour. Many original pieces in the house, the rest were all of the time period. Beautiful spiral stairs; but alot of steps to climb if you're not very able. Over all; very interesting, excellent tour. You get to go in all of the 5 stories of the house.

April Witte

It is a wonderful piece of history, full of valuable information for travelers and locals alike.

Lauri Vickerman

Nice place to visit

Dan Olson

Great spot to check out in the amazing town of waterton

Sarah Haenel

Interesting historical site in an otherwise unremarkable town