Some Little-Known Facts About Our Octagon House-2006
From a conversation between Carman Zappettella and Conneaut Area Historical Society members in January 2006
- The Zappettellas purchased the home in 1955 from their in-law William LaPlace and added the carriage house in 1959.
- They closed off one stairway.
- The fireplace was added to the living room.
- Chimneys were removed.
- Originally, there was a doorway in the basement that went up to the cupola for ventilation.
- A grove still exists in the kitchen floor where the employees stood to can for the Cummins Canning Company which began in 1863 when the family had an overabundance of tomatoes and continued using the kitchen until the factory was built in 1877.
- There were no cupboards in the kitchen.
- It is thought that roof which is now metal was shingle at one time.
- There was a trap door to a portion of the basement, but a tunnel to the creek bank was never found. (An interview/story by Carl Feather in the Ashtabula Star Beacon has Carmen saying that he later found a tunnel with a metal door by the creekbank.)
- There was also a trap door in the pantry with a tunnel north approximately 50 feet to the sidewalk where it was caved in. (Some newspaper stories say that the tunnel ran under Liberty Street.)
Editor’s Note: (Joan Barnett) Sadly, Carmen passed away on September 5, 2016.
Capturing Conneaut History with the Conneaut Area Historical Society 