Central Wisconsin haunts - the Octagon House

This article is from the www.examiner.com

May 11, 1:14 PM by Kathie Kessler

The ghosts of children playing, the feeling of cold hands touching you, scratching on the walls, hidden rooms and tunnels used by the underground railroad. These are all claims of the house known as “The Octagon House” located at 276 Linden Street, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Isaac Brown, a trader with the local Indians and a carpenter erected the house in 1856 on the grounds of an old Indian village, trading post and settlement house that was originally built in 1814 . Becoming fearful of Indian attacks and planning for its use as a station on the underground railroad, he constructed an eight sided house complete with nine secret passageways, hidden spaces and a tunnel, that was only just discovered in 1975, that lead from the house, out to the woodshed.

When Isaac Brown's son Edwin married, the house was given to him as a wedding present. Edwin and his wife Ruth raised three children in the house until 1900 when the property became a rental. It remained a rental unit until the late 1960's. The house was placed on the register of historic places in 1972 but that didn't save it from almost being demolished to make room for a new high school.

Three days before its scheduled demolition, it was purchased by Helen Hanson, a local dressmaker and antique dealer without ever seeing the inside of the property. Over the next few years the Hanson family restored the twelve room, two bath house and turned into a business and museum, which is now open for tours.

Many people who have toured the house as well as paranormal groups who have investigated it, have experienced activity on the property, including a spinning wheel that was completely disassembled only seconds after it had been observed standing in its usual place. Items will go missing, voices are heard, doors slam on their own, cold spots, shadows and footsteps are a regular occurrence in this eccentric and historic home.

Are the children of Edwin Brown still lingering in the house they grew up in or are they the ghosts of the slaves that took refuge in the house on their way to Canada that still like to make themselves known? I guess that's something one has to decide for themselves.. after a trip to the haunted Octagon House!

For more information about the Octagon House, visit THEIR WEBSITE