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The once-avant-garde structure has, since its 1858 construction, undergone many challenges and changes. A new effort may save it for all.
Abijah Thomas was an early progressive thinker, textile plant founder and ironworks tycoon in Southwest Virginia. When he built his mansion near Marion, Virginia in 1858, he chose the most avant-garde design of the day—octagonal.
In a short-lived trend sweeping the country then, eight-sided houses were touted as less expensive to build as well as easier to heat and light. Plus they were just plain cool, according to octagonal architecture promoter Orson Fowler in his 1848 book, “The Octagon House: A Home for All.”
Thomas’ two-story, 6,000-square-foot mansion is one of the nation’s largest remaining octagonal houses from that period. Overlooking the South Fork of the Holston River, it features a grand staircase and faux marble woodwork. Slaves fired and molded the bricks onsite, including special angled bricks for the corners. The fingerprint of an enslaved builder survives in a foundation brick.
Rumors still circulate about the windowless central “dark room” splashed with crimson stains. Was it used for torturing slaves or storing food? Historians say storage and suggest exploding beet jars, but no one really knows.
The Thomas family lost its fortune during the Civil War. After they sold the mansion, it was used as apartments, storage, and then sat neglected for decades. By 2000, the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places was nearly ready to collapse. Preservation Virginia listed it as one of Virginia’s most endangered historic places.
In 2003, Smyth County native Derek Orr made a snap decision to buy the house at auction.
“When I heard bidders talking about tearing it down and selling it as salvage, I had to buy it. I’ve always loved this house. My grandparents lived there for a while,” he says.
Orr yearned to restore the house, but soon realized it was a daunting project. So he formed a nonprofit for its restoration and donated the house. He wants to see it restored as a cultural center and tourist attraction.
“We’re stabilizing it, but it isn’t safe to enter right now. When it’s finished, the house will be open to the public for tours and events, a piece of living history,” he says.
Orr invites anyone interested to join the effort. Check the Octagon House Foundation Facebook page for upcoming events and ways to contribute.
