The O.C. Gibbs House is also known as an Octagon House. Homes built in this style have eight sides and are rarely seen as only a few thousand were ever built. The Octagon House style became popular in 1849 when a man by the name of Orson S. Fowler highlighted its advantages of offering more sunlight, less useless corner space, and lower building costs.

Gibbs was born in 1828 in Vermont and married Florella Chandler in 1848. Gibbs wrote several essays and articles related to medicine, social welfare, and farming. Gibbs died in 1889.