We lived just a few blocks from the Octagon House in San Francisco for 4 years but we never walked by when they were open for self-guided tours. On our recent visit to San Francisco, we lucked out and were passing by on a stroll through the Marina during one of the rare times the Octagon House was open to visitors and just had to pop in.
Inside, the Octagon House features samples of the handwriting of all the signers (save 1 or 2) of the Declaration of Independence.
A tight curved staircase runs up through the center of this small home situated where Pacific Heights meets the Marina.Period furnishings and decorations are found throughout the Octagon House.
The Octagon House is preserved by the National Society of Colonial Dames. While the house wasn't around in Colonial times, many of the artifacts inside are from the Colonial period of US history.
We stepped outside and had a look at the Octagon House's gardens.
We ducked around the back of the garden into a secluded shady spot behind the Octagon House.
We discovered a lovely wrought iron bench and sat for a while admiring the Octagon House before heading on our way. I'm glad we finally had a chance to see this place! Better late than never...