Third Place: Alicyn Newman-Elementary School, The Octagon House, Simpson County
It was a warm sunny day when Mr. Caldwell laid the first foundation stone for the extra ordinary house he was about to build. The air was filled with the scent of cut wood and the rasping of saws sounded like music. The construction of the Octagon House, also called the Octagon Hall, was started in 1847. It was finished in 1859 just before the Civil War in what is now Simpson County Kentucky by a man named Andrew Jackson Caldwell. He built it as a home for his family, but it also became a popular place where Confederate soldiers spent the night. The house is octagonal, having eight sides, which was a fad in the 1840’s. It is built of bricks handmade by slaves, and has a downstairs, upstairs, a basement, and an attic. Each level has four rooms, except the attic. The grounds outside the Octagon Hall were also an important part of its history. There was the summer kitchen, slave quarters, and a slave cemetery. Also, outside you will find the largest dogwood tree in Kentucky.
There are many interesting facts about the Octagon House. For one thing, it is the only surviving octagonal house in Kentucky, and there are only ninety six octagonal house in the United States with only four of them being brick. The Octagon Hall will be 150 years old this year. It has been a prominent landmark in Simpson County for a long time. At one point the house was almost torn down. Fortunately, the woman who owned the land did not sell.
The Octagon House was used as an observation post and camp during the Civil War for the Confederate soldiers. On February 13th, 1862, approximately 8000 Confederate soldiers, along with commanders camped at the Octagon Hall on their way to Tennessee. A few days later, Union forces occupied the area and killed the family cattle, then poisoned the well with the animals’ remains.
There has been a legend that there was at one point a secret underground tunnel on the grounds leading from the basement, out to the barn, and then on to the railroad tracks about a mile behind the house. People claimed to have seen a trap door in the basement leading underground that has since been covered with concrete. It was believed that Confederate soldiers would tether their horses out by the railroad tracks, walk to the house, and if needed escape back via the underground tunnel. It is believed that this tunnel is not hand dug, but actually part of a cave system.
During current restorations, many artifacts have been found out on the grounds, some of which are civil war belt buckles, coins, bullets, spurs, wagon hubs, glass, and pottery. Also the walks that the people used, which had been covered up over the years with dirt and concrete were finally recovered.
The cupola on the roof of the house was kept filled with beehives, and sometimes a soldier would be put up there in a bee suit with the bees. The insects kept enemy from entering the cupola where the soldier was hidden. An interesting story about the Octagon Hall is that there was once a wounded soldier that was hidden in the cupola. He was put into a bee suit and during this they had to take off his boot. He had been badly injured in the foot, and when the boot, which had been holding in the blood flow was taken off, it caused the soldier to bleed to death.
There have also been many strange things going on at the Octagon Hall. Many people have claimed to have seen the ghosts of soldiers that died on the property. One of the most famous “ghosts” is the ghost of Mary Elizabeth, one of Andrew Caldwell’s daughters. When she was six years old, she was in the basement kitchen when an ember rolled out of the fire and ignited her clothes. The accident was fatal, but nobody knows whether it killed the poor girl instantly or not. Many people have said that they have seen a little girl wearing a white dress walking around in the basement and playing in the front yard. Soldiers have also been seen leaning against the side of the barn or walking along the grounds.
I believe that the Octagon House should keep being preserved and restored. There are so many interesting things about it. It is not only a Simpson County landmark, but it plays a great role in the history of our community. It would be a great loss if anything were to happen to this historic sight. There are not many historical places in Franklin. We should make sure the house keeps being preserved. It would be a great loss for that time in America’s history to be forgotten. People need to know more about the Civil Was museum, housing many artifacts found on the grounds. It is a great place for people to go and learn. They can learn about families that lived during that time period, the reason behind the Civil War, and much more. We need a place for people to go and learn about the family life of the past. It was not only a house, but it was a home. Families with children and parents lived there. The spirit of home still thrives in that house. The Octagon Hall is a place where history will never be forgotten.
This essay and photograph are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.