Robert Waugh House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Robert Waugh House
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 202 School St., Sparland, Illinois |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1887 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001170 |
| Added to NRHP | October 4, 1978 |
The Robert Waugh House, also called the Sparland Octagonal House, is a very unique home in Sparland, Illinois. It sits on a hill and looks out over the Illinois River. This special house was built by Robert Waugh in 1887. He bought the land for just $25! Since October 1978, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical building. It's the only place in Marshall County that is on this list. The house is private, and its rooms are shaped like slices of pie around a cool spiral staircase in the middle.
Contents
The Story of the Sparland Octagon House
Who Was Robert Waugh?
Robert Waugh was born in Selkirkshire, Scotland in 1838. When he was about 12 years old, in 1850, he moved to the United States. A few years later, in 1853, he settled in Marshall County, Illinois.
Building a Unique Home
In 1870, Robert Waugh opened his own dry goods store in Sparland. He first lived in an apartment above his store. But in 1886, he bought some land and decided to build a very unusual house: an octagon house. An octagon house has eight sides, like a stop sign! It's not known why he picked this style. Maybe he knew about another octagon house nearby.
The house was finished in 1887, and Robert Waugh moved in. He lived there until 1913. After that, his business partner, Andrew Aitchison, bought the house. The Aitchison family owned the house until 1973.
A Special Historic Place
By 1978, the Robert Waugh House was one of only ten octagon houses left in Illinois. What makes it even more special is that it's the only one made of brick. Plus, it's one of the few that still looks almost exactly as it did when it was first built.
Because of its unique style and history, the National Park Service added the house to the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 1978.
What Does the House Look Like?
The Robert Waugh House is a two-and-a-half-story building. This means it has two full floors and a smaller half-floor, usually in the attic. It's made of red bricks and sits on a strong stone base.
Eight Sides and a Porch
Each of the house's eight sides is about 16 feet long. The roof is not very steep and has three small windows that stick out, called dormers. The front of the house faces east toward School Street. It has a cool, six-sided porch on the first floor. This porch has six doric order columns, which are simple, round pillars, and a simple railing.
Windows and Details
The sides next to the front (northeast and southeast) have a bay window on the first floor. A bay window sticks out from the house and has three windows. Above these bay windows, there are two double-hung windows grouped together. Double-hung windows are those that slide up and down.
The other five sides of the house have two-over-two double-hung windows. This means each window has two panes of glass on the top and two on the bottom. All the windows have stone sills (the ledge at the bottom) and a slight arch made of bricks above them. The house has a simple design and doesn't have a lot of fancy decorations.
