Octagon House Museum

The Octagon House was one of the largest homes built prior to the Civil War in Wisconsin. Its only occupants have been members of the Richards family. Following the passing of Anna Richards Thomas in 1936, the mansion was donated in 1938 to the fledgling Watertown Historical Society whose dedicated members have maintained the Octagon House as a public museum ever since.

The museum grounds are home to the First Kindergarten in America founded in Watertown by Margarethe Meyer Schurz, a restored pioneer barn, a delightful 1936 model of the Octagon House and a tour center with gift shop.

We invite you to join us for a fully-guided tour of the Octagon House Museum. Tours of the First Kindergarten and Pioneer Barn are self-guided. You can also celebrate your wedding, anniversary, corporate picnic or other special event at the Octagon House Museum.