The Octagon House and 1st Kindergarten watertown,wi. 2010 guided video tour

the real live tour is much better.this is just a small portion of the full tour.please visit The Octagon House and 1st Kindergarten watertown,wi.!!!!
it was such a cool tour i thought i'd edit our footage and share it,so here you go.
Visit the Octagon House and first kindergarten in watertown ,wi.usa.The Octagon House , five floors of solid brick construction completed in 1854, was designed and built by John Richards, a pioneer Watertown settler. The House is one of the largest single family residences of the Pre-Civil War Period in Wisconsin
Richards arrived in Watertown, on foot, in the spring of 1837. Once here he became the first lawyer in Jefferson County, as well as the owner of several mills. In 1849 he married his sweetheart, the former Eliza Forbes. He promised to build her the finest home in the Wisconsin Territory if she would marry him.
Its construction includes central heating, running water and ventilating systems. In addition to those "modern conveniences," the house features a central spiral staircase which rises from the first floor to the tower room.
The Richards family and their descendants resided in the home until 1937, when grandson William Thomas passed away. At that time the remaining family members were faced with what to do with the family home, which had become one of Watertown's' most recognizable landmarks.
The Richards family offered to sell it to the city for $ 1, but opposition from the city council and several citizens prevented that from happening. The fledgling Watertown Historical Society then came forward and arranged to purchase the home from the Richards family on condition that it always be used as a public museum.
Since 1938 the Octagon House has been open to the public.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• bryndle lynn
• history
• watertown
• wi.
• octagon house
• historical landmark
• bill jannke
• old building
• antique
• vintage
• tour
• tour guide
• museum
• wisconsin
• old
• house
• kindergarten
• 1st

[viperrcm0214]

24 years all my life. live down the road and never see it.

[hindsight1820]

Awesome house. Awesome tour. Great job by the tour guide, but I wouldn't want to do all that talking more than once every couple of days!! Some of my students should apply for the job. They are tireless!