William T. Tibbals House (1857)

William T. Tibbals House
William T. Tibbals House

The William T. Tibbals House, at 11 Old Middletown Road in the Cobalt section of the town of East Hampton, has an unusual shape that some have classified as an octagon but seems closer to an oval and is said to be known as “the round house.” The roof may have had an octagon shape at one time, but today it seems to have the sides of a dodecagon, or 12-sided polygon. The house was built in 1857, which was during the peak of the fad in construction of octagon houses, and it has the stucco exterior and bracketed roof typical of octagon house construction, so perhaps we could consider it a relative of the octagon houses. It was built for William Thadeus Tibbals, operated an oakum works (used for caulking wooden ships) on Cobalt Stream that had been started by his father, Thadeus Tibbals, in 1828. After William’s death, his widow lived in the house and his son, Irvin Tibbals, who continued the oakum business with William’s brothers.

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Calhoun-Hollister-Anson-Solley House (1866)

Simeon Calhoun built two octagon houses in the town of Washington during the Civil War period. One was erected for Treat Nettleton on Nettleton Hollow Road and the other (pictured above) was built on at 142 Judea Cemetery Road in about 1866. The house was purchased by the Hollister family in 1881. They gave their name to the farm on the property called Holliecroft. Harold B. Anson (brother of James A. Anson), who had a painting company, bought the house in 1941. The Solley family bought the house from Anson in 1950. They operated Holliecroft as a dairy farm until 1960 and then focused on growing crops. The house was owned by Nancy F. Solley for many years

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Bradley-Wheeler Barn (1847)

Bradley-Wheeler Barn (1847)

On the northwest corner of the Bradley-Wheeler House property in Westport is a heptagonal (seven-sided) cobblestone barn with an octagonal roof. It is thought to have been built circa 1847 by Farmin Patchin, a mason and blacksmith who owned the house at the time. The original uses of the barn are unknown, but it was possibly a smithy. The northwest corner of the building was originally attached to a wood frame barn that is no longer standing. Renovated in late 1980s/early 1990s, the barn is now home to the Museum of Westport History run by the Westport Historical Society.

Interior of the barn in 2023.
Roof of the barn in 2023.

Henry S. Smith House (1855)

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As requested, the octagon house built for Henry S. Smith in 1855 is located at the dead end of Bevin Boulevard in East Hampton. Smith was the son of Nathaniel C. Smith, who represented his town six times in the Connecticut General Assembly and served as town clerk for twenty-five successive years. The house, which has a porch and a later ell, has been owned by the Clark family since around 1900.