Urbex doesn’t have to be about infiltrating abandoned buildings all the time. Sometimes you just have to walk around the neighborhoods that surround you and talk to people. I spoke with the sister of the home’s owner, who was packing her car. Erin did not know much of the history of the home, but she did tell me about the inside. The basement is a dirt foundation and not currently used for much. The ground level floor has a living room, kitchen, and small dining area. There is indeed a second floor to this home. A very tiny staircase leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor. The home is currently occupied by a man, woman, and their young daughter.
One source claims that the house was built in 1855. I will have to return to the library and confirm this.
http://whitewaterhomecoming.wetpaint.com/page/The+Octagon+House
Went to college at Whitewater and I know the building, there is a webpage with info about it here.
My husband and I flipped this house in 2007 which was built in 1855. You would have to see the before pix to appreciate this current pic. Didn’t do much with the outside other than a total clean up and the new front door, railing, mailbox and some paint. The inside turned out amazingly beautiful with refinished hardwood floors and original staircase and oak railings. It still has a lot of it’s “original” features. Some day i’d like to show off our before and after pix.
this house is rumored to have been the site of multiple suicides and suspected to have ties to Whitewater’s rich history of witchcraft
Hi. The house is called the Lyman Wight Octagon House. It was built in 1862. The style was “promoted as an economical and functional home.” It was built for inventor Lyman Wight who worked at the Esterly Reaper Works.
Source: “Touring Historical Whitewater: A Guide to Whitewater Homes, Buildings, Schools, Parks, and Cemetaries” booklet. N.d. Page 21.
I believe at one time, it was also the Junior League Headquarters.