BLUFFTON (AP) -- BLUFFTON, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina archaelogists believe they have unearthed the first octagonal house in the United States.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reported Sunday the ruins were found last fall on the banks of the May River along with a letter written in 1796 by a visitor to the site that helps date the structure.

Archaeologists Heather Cline and Mary Socci say the 900-square-foot house was owned by Scottish immigrant William McKimmy and was built about 1790.

That would mean the home predates Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, which was built in the 1820s near Lynchburg, Va. The director of archaeological restoration at the home considered to be the first octagonal house says he questions whether the find was a full-size home.

------

Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)