Sally Francis Jones, born in Danvers in 1812, married George Nourse in November of 1832, at the age of 20. The couple had two children before 1838, when George was lost at sea and never returned home. Sally lived in the family home for some time until she sold the estate and purchased land from a family friend in town. With both of her children out of the home, she decided to build a distinct Octagon house. Influenced by Joshua Silvester, who built a cement barn in the octagon shape attached to his cement house at 11 Peabody Avenue, today across from the Peabody Institute Library, her home was constructed of a brown concrete and painted a brown color, giving the house the nickname “the mud house”. Ms. Jones resided in the home for ten years, before selling the home. The house remains as one of a few extant Octagon homes in Massachusetts, and a rare example of a concrete Octagon home.
Buildings of New England 
This was my grandparents home. I miss it so much. 😢
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Oh wow!! So cool! How was the interior?
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I’m going to see if I have any pictures of the interior. My memories are from the 80s and getting hazier as I get older, but I do remember some details. There was a purple Japanese theme wallpaper in the front hall that I loved. The kitchen used to have a large braided oval rug on the floor. I remember upstairs my grandmother had a pink carpet, and there was a spare bedroom that had golden painted walls. I just remember how magical it was, especially when it still had all the ivy growing up on the sides and the large plot of land. My grandfather used to have a large vegetable garden but now there are houses on the land. I will see if I can find any pictures! 🙂
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Yes! I would love to see some interior photos! ❤
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(I drive by it quite often – I live in Danvers off of Locust Street, and always thought it was a neat house!)
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Oh you are lucky! I have only driven by it once in about…. 30 years? I couldn’t believe how much smaller it seemed. My memory was that it was huge, but maybe that’s because I was a child. I was also shocked to see the houses that sprang up right next to it.
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My father lived in this house as a baby in 1922. Not sure for how long though. He lived in Danvers until his death in 2016. John Burbidge.
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Oh wow! Very cool. what a great home to live in!
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