Horace Williams House

The only historic home open to the public in Chapel Hill. The west element or farmhouse (c.1840) retains its original pine floorboards, mantel, and window surrounds. The house?s Octagon Room was built around 1855. The local story was that it’s believed that as a bee’s honeycomb provided maximum strength in nature, so it would in a building. The parlor and entrance hall, with noteworthy parquet ceilings, were built in the 1880s. Horace Williams, a UNC Philosophy professor, was the last private owner of the house. He bought it in 1897 for $1450. One of his students was writer Thomas Wolfe, author of You Can’t Go Home Again. The home is open to tours and houses monthly art exhibits and various special events.