The Octagon House - 1844

The actual construction of this house was done under the direction of Mr. William Gwinn. Bricks were handmade onsite and the yellow poplar lumber was cut from the land by slave labor.

Original House Layout – The house was three stories with each story a perfectly shaped octagon figure. All rooms centered around a large chimney located in the exact center of the building. There were six fireplaces on this one chimney – two from each floor. Rooms are quite large and odd shaped and there is a circular stairway from the basement to the third floor. In the large basement were located the kitchen and pantries, the wine cellar and the servant’s quarters. On the ground floor were the parlors and living rooms. Bedrooms were on the third floor. Home had beautifully paneled wood doors, tall wood mantels of solid wood, very wide baseboards and a filigree of leather work built into the walls around the doors and windows.

The house sat back from the road in a grove of trees. This old Horn Lake Road was a toll road for many years.* The octagon-shaped home allowed the residents to view the road and scenery from virtually any place in the home.

Restored House Layout – Today, the tri-level Mon Amour home contains about 3,850 square feet of space and features a looping stairway rising from the basement to the second or top floor. Two bedrooms, each with a private bath, are on the top floor. Living Room, Dining Room and Kitchen are located on the main floor. The Basement floor contains a large family area with two center fireplaces**, a full bath, laundry area, office area. Ceilings were reduced from 12 feet to 9 feet for better energy efficiency.

*The earliest roads followed old Indian trails, and were just wide enough to permit a wagon to get through. Due to the number of springs and streams in the area, bridges needed to be built. Soon, roads to the large farms were improved and a toll was charged to others who had to go through. The Memphis and Horn Lake Road was chartered in 1854 with a capital stock of $50,000 by plantation owners along the route. Slaves constructed the road by placing planks upon timbers that had been laid flush with the road bed. Toll fees were ten cents for eight miles for a rider on horseback and wagons and carriages were charged twenty-five cents.

**The yellow poplar mantel is No. 87 in the famous architect, Minard Lafever’s 1833 design book – The Modern Builder’s Guide.

Google View of Octagon House Today