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Vol. 5, No. 6
December 2006
OCTAGON HOUSE FUTURE ASSURED
On December 16, 2006, Roundtown Conservancy, Inc.
wrote and passed a Resolution which will assure the future of The
Octagon and, we believe, will greatly benefit Circleville and
Pickaway County.
Working closely, since 2003, with Professional
Redevelopment Consultant Franklin Conaway, the Conservancy saved the
house from imminent demolition to make way for a Wal-Mart Super
Store, and had it moved across acres of farmland to where it now
stands on its new foundation.
The year it became endangered, this unique
eight-sided farmhouse captured the immediate interest of The
National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Circleville's
Roundtown Conservancy has benefited greatly from their interest ever
since. The Savings Band has also patiently supported the
Conservancy's efforts which are now coming to fruition.
Roundtown Conservancy is now being assisted by a
number of interested supporters which may include the American
Institute of Architects, the Columbus Landmark Foundation, the
Chillicothe Conservancy, Senator John Carey, Representative John
Schlichter, county and state organizations and, of course, the
National Trust. The list continues to grow, and this support will
begin to alleviate the enormous cast incurred by the Conservancy of
saving, protecting and maintaining this national treasure.
The house is to become The Octagon Center of the
Study of Architecture. It will be restored to its original pristine
condition and will become a major heritage and tourism destination
as well as an education center that will serve the entire region.
Since it was saved in 2004, we have had numerous questions from
local people as well as from people across the nation. Our Visitors'
Bureau reports visitors from other states stopping in to ask, "Don't
you have an octagonal house somewhere around here?"
The Conservancy continues to work closely with
Franklin Conaway. This dedicated group expects to see great things
for the house in the year 2007.
Vol. V, No. 5
November 2006
"WE STAND CORRECTED!"
For those who had faith in our
promise to see that the Zeiger marker would finally be correct --
(and for those who didn't) -- you may now go to the corner of North
Scioto and West High Streets and take a look!
We collected our files and
photos and called Sewah in Marietta. They graciously backed their
promise to correct all errors made by them.
Lou McFarland's group once again
removed the marker and loaded it into Tom and Dorothy Cooper's van.
The Coopers waited overnight in Marietta to allow the paint to dry
so it could return to Circleville without further delay.
McFarland's men once
again replaced the marker -- now correct in every detail.
Roundtown
Conservancy is proud (and relieved) to
have seen this job through to the end. Thank you, McFarland and
crew; Tom and Dorothy; and thank you Sewah!
REGARDING E-MAIL
Many
people seem to be changing their e-mail addresses. As we said
earlier, we lost 29 addresses. Research on these has been partially
successful. If you feel you have missed 2-3 Newsletters, let us
know; we'll forward them to you. Others: please, if you change your
e-mail address, notify us at redhouse@bright.net. There are some
very interesting new developments just around the corner and we
don't want to lose you at this exciting time.
August 2006
ANNUAL MEETING
Stuart
Sharpnack, closing his term as President, gave to the Conservancy
three attractively framed letters: one from the Office of the
Governor of Ohio, honoring Caleb Atwater, and dedicating the Atwater
marker (N. Court and Pinckney Streets) on behalf of the people of
the State of Ohio.
The second is from the Ohio Senate, also honoring the late Caleb
Atwater on the occasion of the dedication of the historical marker
A third letter is the Proclamation from the Office of then Mayor Ron
Wunsch, proclaiming August 23, 2003, “Caleb Atwater Day.”
In his final report, Stuart spoke of the honor of the office and the
importance of the Conservancy’s work, stressing the sad fact that
when a beautiful piece of historical architecture is gone, it’s
gone.
New officers are: President-Carol Higgins; Vice President-Jeff Call;
Secretary-Susan Smith; Treasurer-Cheryl Bircher. Trustees are
Stephanie Sharpnack, Tom Cooper, Richard Bircher, Steve Spicer and
Dwight Karshner.
OCTAGON QUILT PRESENTED
Three
women attended the Conservancy’s July meeting, bringing with them a
magnificent Octagon House quilt! Kathy Dickson, Eva Hanley, and
Gracille Kuhn worked on this quilt, using warm fall colors. In the
center is a square featuring the Octagon House in a brick-pattern
fabric and a ‘slate’ roof. Behind it stands the pumpkin water tower.
The women donated the quilt to the Conservancy. It will be shown in
the Craft Building, off East Franklin Street, during Pumpkin Show.
After that, we’ll see!
ZIEGER MARKER
The
Zieger marker is still not correct -- and from the phone calls we’re
getting, you all seem to be aware of the fact! We immediately began
receiving calls when the picture appeared in the paper.
Well, we know it too, and we’re doing something about it. Sewah has
been very clear that, if an error is theirs, it will be corrected.
We have gathered our data and will be meeting with them shortly.
Some day, folks, it will be made right!
THE GATEHOUSE
The
Forest Cemetery Board requested that a Conservancy member serve on
its special committee to study the reconstruction of the Gatehouse.
At this point, they are leaning toward a replica, the original
Victorian-style building being unsalvageable.
Roundtown Conservancy and Roundtown Players had earlier given money
which they raised with their Cemetery Walk, actors telling the story
of their “character” as they stood beside his or her gravestone.
This important project, we are sure, would welcome donations.
July, 2006
Volume V, No. 2
SIDEWALK SALE
We will be at the Verizon Atwater Plaza
(Corner of Pinckney and N. court) July 21 and 22, from 9:30 - 3:30.
We have several new items for sale, also our local artists;
notecards and prints and our standard Octagon House items. There are
games and prizes for the children -- and FREE balloons! Come and
enjoy!
ZIEGER
MARKER RETURNED
The historic marker about the Zieger House
and family, which stood at the corner of N. Scioto and High Streets,
had an embarrassing error: the Zieger name was incorrectly spelled.
This caused misspelling on other documents, including the collage
picture-map put out several years ago. Roundtown Conservancy raised
funds for its correction, had it taken down, book it to Sewah in
Marietta, and brought it back, corrected and restored. It can now be
seen at its original location, corner of N. Scioto and W. High
Streets. Go and visit the marker. The history is fascinating and
many of you helped support this project with your money. Thank you,
one and all. We also thank Lou McFarland and his crew for removing
and replacing the marker.
YARD SALE NEAR ASHVILLE
Dwight Karshner has again offered his yard
at 15026 Lockbourne-Eastern Road just outside Ashville, for a "trash
and treasure" sale to be held all day on Saturday, August 5th. Come
and find a "treasure." (This is also a good opportunity to place
some of your unwanted items which may then become someone else's
"treasure.") ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE OCTAGON HOUSE.
ANNUAL MEETING - SECOND NOTICE
Roundtown
Conservancy's Annual Meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 15,
2006 at the office at Peck's Hall (the Stout Building), corner of
Court and Main Streets, apartment 3, second floor.
SOME LOCAL CONCERNS
The Forest Cemetery Board is working out
solutions to the problem created by the fire in the cemetery
gatehouse, an attractive Victorian-style building which does much to
enhance the entrance to the cemetery. The board studying this
problem has included Wally Higgins from Roundtown Conservancy.
The Circleville Oil building, an interesting example
of Art Deco architecture, is almost certainly doomed. We would very
much like to see someone sensitive to period architecture take an
active interest in this unique structure, much as John Rankin
restored and renewed The Movie House. Every time a unique building
goes down, the town loses a little more if its history and becomes a
little less interesting.
YOU ARE IMPORTANT!
It is a sad fact: we have lost 29 e-mail addresses
due to change/moves. We want to keep you posted to some very vital
and interesting news in the near future. Please notify us if you
change your e-mail.
Roundtown
Conservancy, P.O. Box 501, Circleville, OH 43113
June, 2006
Volume V, No. 1
Roundtown Conservancy Welcomes
GOBA
On Thursday, June 22, the Conservancy was among many
groups welcoming the Greater Ohio Bicycle Association to
Circleville. We certainly gave them all kinds of weather! They
entered during a cloudburst, endured tremendous heat and nearly lost
their tents to strong wind. However, they praised Circleville for
its friendly attitude and for our beautiful old buildings.
Roundtown Conservancy treated them to Historic
District walking tours and shuttled them to the Octagon House for a
one-day open house arranged just for them. We sold water at
reasonable cost, cookies, art and Octagon House memorabilia.
Donations were generous and the day was very successful.
Future Events
Look for us at the Sidewalk Sale on Friday and
Saturday, July 21, 22. We'll be on the Atwater Plaza, corner of
Pinckney and N. Court Streets with games and sales items.
There will also be a rummage sale in July. It will
be at Dwight Karshner's, 15026 Lockbourne-Eastern Road. If you have
rummage you would like to donate proceeds to the Octagon House),
call Dwight (740) 983-3451, or Cheryl Bircher (740) 474-8348.
Look for us again at Pumpkin Show. We will be in
evidence at the new Welcome Center and may also be found at a table
in the tent on East Franklin Street. More on this as we ourselves
get more information.
New Day, Time, Place
Some of you are still asking where and when we now
meet. Our regular meeting date has been changed, by request of the
majority of members who attend regularly, to the 3rd Tuesday of each
month, 7:00 p.m. in our office on the second floor of the Stout
Building, corner of Court and Main Streets, Suite 3.
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August
15, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the Roundtown Conservancy office: Apartment
3, 2nd floor of the Stout Building, corner of Court and Main.
The newsletter
archive can be downloaded in this
PDF file. October 2003
through November 2004
The newsletter
archives for 2005, PDF.
In
May of 2005, at the request of the Roundtown Conservancy, members of
the Circleville Service Department, headed by Louis McFarland,
removed the Zeiger Historical Plaque from its place on the Southwest
corner of Scioto and W. High St. The plaque which has been in
place since 1978 was removed to be sent to the Sewah Company for
correction of the name and refurbishing. The name on the
plaque has long been a source of controversy as the name is spelled
Zeigler instead of Zeiger.
The plaque was
originally placed on the corner by the Masons, to honor the family
of Jacob Zeiger, Sr. This location was chosen because it was the
site of the home of Jacob’s son’s (Jacob Zeiger, Jr.) home.
According to “1880 History of Franklin & Pickaway Counties, Ohio”,
the second story of this home was the first site of the Court of
Common Pleas of Pickaway County and according to the text on the
marker it was also the meeting place of the Pickaway Lodge # 23 of
the Free & Accepted Masons from April 26, 1813 until 1825. The
house which now stands at this location is not the original Zeiger
home.
Also according to
“1880 History of Franklin & Pickaway Counties, Ohio” Jacob Sr. and
his son-in-law, Samuel Watt, donated “a considerable portion of the
land on which the city is located, for public purposes.”
When the
historical plaque was removed from its pole, the Circleville City
Service crew that removed it, found that the pole too needed
replaced. Thanks to donations by interested citizens, the pole and
plaque will both be replaced. The plaque and pole were both picked
up at the Sewah Company in Marietta and have been returned to
Circleville. When time and good weather permit, the Circleville
City Service Department will replace the pole and plaque and once
and for all the Zeiger family will have a well earned visible
reminder of its place in the history in the City of Circleville.
The following
appeared in the Herald, Tuesday March 2, 2010
Interest in Octagon House
Renewed
By CRAIG ALLISON
Staff Writer
Local historians and preservationists have noted the recent
discovery in Bluffton, South Carolina of what is believed to be the
first octagonal house built in the United States.
Construction of the South Carolina house dates to 1790 according to
experts. The local octagon house near the Wal-Mart shopping center
“is quite a bit younger according to Circleville historian Wally
Higgins.
“Our local octagon house was built fin 1855, so the South Carolina
house predates it by 65 years. It even precedes by 30 or so years
the octagon house named Poplar Forest built by Thomas Jefferson in
the 1820s,” said Higgins.
Higgins said the local octagon house remains “tied up” in court
proceedings.
According to Higgins a contractor from Zanesville “with a great
reputation for moving houses” was hired to move the octagon house to
a new location east of its original location.
“The foundation for the new location was not quite completed so the
house sat on his equipment for a period of time until the new
foundation was ready,” said Higgins. “He ended up taking us to court
over the time the house sat on his equipment, which was not in the
contract,” said Higgins.
Dorothy Cooper, of the Roundtown Conservancy which owns the house,
said the long term goal for the structure is to make it into a
“stop” for various tour groups.
“We envision the octagon house as a tour stop to
study octagon building and architecture,” said Cooper.
“We would like to have a center comparable to the Reese-Peters House
in Lancaster, which is also know as a center for decorative arts,”
she said.
When the time does arrive to start refurbishing the
octagon house, Cooper said the Conservancy would have to consult
with architects and ‘stay true to the style and period of the
house.’
Cooper said they will need people at that time to can
clean, plaster and paint in accordance with architectural plans.
A special message from Dorothy
Cooper about a Chinese Auction and wonderful art by local artists.
Be sure to take a look...
BICENTENNIAL CALENDARS:
Bicentennial calendars with drawings by local students will be on
sale at the Arts and Crafts weekend in downtown on
Saturday, September 19. Look for the
Conservancy booth to buy (or order) your calendars or to buy a
medallion of the Octagon house (done on either wood or acrylic) -
The calendars are $15 each and the medallions are $5 each - they
make great Christmas presents.
Membership renewal:
Renewals
of membership are yearly in August, and this is a reminder for
people to send in their membership dues anytime. The dues are $20
for Individuals, $30 for families, $5 for students, with options for
Organizations, Sustaining or Corporate donations of higher amounts.
Please make checks payable to Roundtown Conservancy and mail to P.O.
Box 501 Circleville, 43113
Octagon Update:
We are
nearing a court date with the mover, and hope that the mechanic's
lien on the house will be removed so we can move forward with fund
raising and securing the house before another winter. The date is
soon, and we are all hopeful to see this obstacle at an end.
Helpers needed:
The
Conservancy will be doing some fund raisers in the near future, and,
if you have a few hours, you can help us. We will be selling at the
Junior Women's Booth on Friday of Pumpkin Show and we have an
opportunity to work for the Columbus chapter of Sertoma at tailgate
parties on October 23 and October 30. Our small group always can
use and welcomes new volunteers.
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