Abstract:
Dr. William Sparrow built his eight-sided house in Hyde County in the 1840s. Local residents have given it many names over the years, including the Ink Bottle House, the Round House, and the Octagon House. The house stands today as a gloomy shell just off the Historic Albemarle Tour Road. Plans are underway to restore the house as close as possible to the original. When finished, the structure will be used as a center for historical research, a museum, or a cultural center for Hyde County.