“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”
John 7:38
Days spent with my hubby are always my favorites. Last Thursday, Butch had to travel for business and I decided to tag along! I always look forward to spending a day riding in his truck, talking, listening to music, finding good local food, and taking a little nap…not for him, but for me! Makes for a perfect day! As we were driving about an hour outside of Atlanta, I noticed a sign for Madison…and although we’ve never been there, it rang a bell. I had just read that Southern Living Readers voted Madison as one of the top ten South’s Best Small Towns. I mentioned to Butch that we should stop there, but we were on a tight schedule so he said we would make a stop on our way home if it wasn’t dark. We went on to our final destination and guess what? On our way back, there was plenty of daylight left! Just as he promised, we stopped and took a short stroll in this lovely small Southern town. Lace up your shoes and take a walk with me…I covered a lot of ground in less than an hour!
You may want to stroll through a few more cities with me:
Strollin’ Through Savannah
The Colors of Seaside
The Magnolia House was built circa 1860 and has undergone extensive renovations to restore its Queen Anne-style architecture.
The Fitzpatrick House, circa 1852, boasts Neoclassical features. A large portion of Madison’s existing residential historic architecture was completed between 1830 and 1860.
As General Sherman’s Union Army marched to the sea in 1864, they did not burn the houses in Madison. Senator Joshua Hill from Madison was a strong unionist who had resigned his seat in 1861 rather than join the rest of the Georgia delegation in seceding from the union. He had made a gentleman’s agreement with Sherman not to burn Madison.
The Baldwin-Ruffin-Lanier House, circa 1840, is the original and only remaining building of the Georgia Female College. It is Greek Revival in style.
Built in 1883, the Queen Anne style Hunter House is the most photographed home in Madison…
…all of the millwork on the inside and outside of the home was handmade in Madison….
…the elaborate spindle-work porch is the most distinctive feature of this house. It has become known as the Gingerbread House!
Madison boasts a wealth of Antebellum and Victorian structures, from modest cottages and opulent town houses with formal boxwood gardens, to nationally recognized public buildings. These fine structures stand today as a monument to an era when cotton was king.
Madison is one of the best preserved antebellum towns in the South. Wealthy planters built elegant town houses in Madison. The town grew as the cotton economy prospered during the first half of the 19th century.
This is the circa 1851 mansion known as Boxwood! This Greek Revival entrance facade faces Old Post Road…
…an Italianate entrance faces Academy Street.
I wasn’t able to locate any information on this house, but it was definitely one of my favorites…
…if anyone has information, please leave a comment…I would love to know!
Broughton Hall, built circa 1850, is a blend of several stylistic periods including Greek Revival and Victorian…
…it still retains its original boxwood gardens!
The Church Of The Advent is a Gothic Revival church building constructed in 1842. The original slave gallery is now used to house the organ.
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The Joshua Hill Home was home to Senator Joshua Hill who is credited with persuading General Sherman to spare Madison on his “March to the Sea”.
There was much more to see in this lovely Southern town, but time ran out. Hopefully, I can return and finish my stroll!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Coastal Charm, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Katherines Corner, Share Your Cup, 21 Rosemary Lane, Love Of Home, Rattlebridge Farm, Rustic & Refined, Celebrate & Decorate, Chatham Hill on the Lake
Such history in these beautiful homes! Hunter House reminds me of a wedding cake. Thanks for the tour and the heads-up to this town. It looks like a real jewel! 🙂
Thanks Kim, it would be a great motorcycle trip for you and HH! Happy Weekend!
What a wonderful tour. My mother an I spent the night in a bed & breakfast in this historic town about 20 years ago. This brought back some sweet memories!
Beth, what a sweet memory you made with your mom. It is a beautiful town!
Well, I can see why it gets such high marks! The homes are just beautiful (Love the gingerbread!) and so are the lawns and the streets look lovely. Thanks for introducing me to this beautiful town — I knew nothing about it before!
Thanks for strolling with me, Jeanie! Happy weekend!
Pam, I am so glad you got to stop and browse around. Savannah is indeed a lovely place with lots of Southern Charm. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Thanks Cindy, there are wonderful places to visit in the South!
What an idyllic Southern town! The houses are beyond beautiful! The gingerbread house reminds me of the BNOTP house that Susan often features on her blog, I wonder if it’s the same one, I know it’s in the Atlanta area…Sounds like a fun day trip!
Jenna
Thanks so much, Jenna. It was a short little visit, but I tried to take it all in!
Really loved the stroll Pam – the houses are exquisite.
Thanks for strolling with me, Joy!
I have been to Madison and love that most beautiful southern town!!! It is so wonderful strolling the streets!
Thanks for the tour and history!!
Thanks Shirley, it is such a beautiful little town!
Hi Pam, I have always loved Antebellum homes, but never been to Madison or Savannah. Mostly we saw historic homes in Mississippi and South Carolina. Would love to come to Georgia to visit these incredible beauties! Thank you for sharing-what a wonderful area to take a stroll in.
Hugs, Noreen
Noreen, it was a delightful walk in a short amount of time, but the architecture is beautiful! Happy weekend!
Wow, Madison is fantastic. Your photos of all the wonderful historic homes are so great. It reminds me of Beaufort, SC which we visited last summer. It was also spared when the Union troops in invaded because everyone just left before they arrived. They called it “The Great Skedaddle.” Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for your visit. I really enjoyed my short walk around this pretty little town. Please send me your blog address so I can visit you. I am unable to find you! Happy Weekend’
Pam
I love seeing old restored homes. You did a beautiful job photographing and describing each of these. Look forward to your next post.
Thanks,
Brenda Green Browning
Hi Brenda, it is so nice to hear from you. I am so glad you enjoyed the walking tour. Hope you are doing well! Blessings~
Pam, thank you for this lovely tour. I once lived in Atlanta, so I was very fortunate to be able to visit Madison quite a bit. It truly is a beautiful southern town. I miss being able to go there whenever I wish, as I now live in PA. Your photos brought back happy memories.
Bobbi, I am so glad the photos brought back happy memories. I certainly enjoyed my short visit. Happy Weekend!
What a fun time you had. Great to hear the history and see these lovely old homes. I also enjoyed strollin through Savannah. We are going there in a few weeks for several days.
Bonnie, I love the Paris Market in Savannah! Enjoy
I especially loved the second house that is white with black shutters – oh, yes! But today’s scripture also touched my heart in a much different way, of course. Living waters. Out of His heart. Just beautiful.
Thanks so much, Leslie Anne. Happy Weekend!
Leave it to you to find a way to have an unexpected adventure. I’m not familiar with Madison and don’t know that I would have thought to make the stop so I would have missed its loveliness.
Linda, when we have the time I always enjoy stopping and checking out what a small town has to offer!
Every year the first weekend in May and December Madison has a tour of homes which is great. You should try to go. I’ve gone for years and always see something different even if I’ve been in the home before.
Dawn that sounds like so much fun, I really need to drive over and take the tours! Thanks for the info.
Este estilo de casas me fascina. No sabría decir cual es más bonita. Bueno, claramente la Hunter House se lleva el primer puesto, es sencillamente maravillosa.
Voy un poco retrasada con los mails que recibo pero no quería dejar pasar este comentario que es maravilloso.
Dolores
Gracias Dolores, por tomar el paseo conmigo y estoy de acuerdo en que el Hunter House es uno para ver! ¡Deseándole una semana maravillosa!
Thanks Dolores, for taking the stroll with me and I agree that the Hunter House is one to see! Wishing you a wonderful week!
I can see why the Hunter house is the most photographed – it is beautiful!
Thanks for strolling with me, Roseann!
Madison is also a destination for shoppers! The shopping there is great!
Thanks Vicky, if I had only had more time! Happy Tuesday!
Thanks for your beautiful post. I so enjoyed it this morning! I wish I could have been there, too. What a blessing to have a wonderful husband that will stop and enjoy it with you. My husband is the same way and we are Blessed.
Yes, we are most blessed. Wished I lived close enough to enjoy your events…they look and sound wonderful!
Thank you for the moment I got to share with you from your stroll through Madison. I love homes and one just as much as the next. I would love to get there someday!
Debbie, thanks so much for joining me…it was a fun hour of walking fast to see as much as possible!
Oh, thank you, Pam. I really enjoyed reading your post! In fact so much so that I also shared it with my husband. : – )
Tell your good hubs we all appreciate his stopping there, too! ♥
Thanks Michele for reading and sharing with your husband! Happy weekend!
These stately homes are beautiful and the Fitzpatrick House really caught my eye.
I am glad you enjoyed, Sandra!
When I saw this featured at Celebrate Your Story, I had to come have a look. Beautiful photos of a lovely city. I’m originally from GA and have visited Madison several times, though it’s been years and years since I was last there. You’ve captured the town’s beauty.
Madison is a lovely city, I hope to return and spend more time!
Pam, regarding the house you were looking for more information on, it is the Jessup-Atkinson House. The original portion was constructed in the 1820s. Like one other house nearby, this house’s original main entrance faced Old Post Road but received a new entrance on the opposite side in the early 1900s when Main Street became the primary thoroughfare (which you have a photo of – the one just before Boxwood). The two story porch in your picture was recreated using evidence such as fire insurance maps and physical evidence on the house as well as extant examples in the surrounding area from the same time period. The wings are later addition with their porches added in 2007. It is probable that the house was moved closer to Main Street at some point before 1921. The Atkinsons owned the Madison Variety Works which produce furniture and architectural elements like “gingerbread.” This may explain why there is such a variety of windows on the Main Street side – maybe they were using leftovers from the shop!
Glad you enjoyed Madison, hope you return when you have more time!
Ken, thanks so much for the info on the Jessup-Atkinson House…very interesting. Madison is such a lovely town and we so enjoyed our visit. We do hope to return. Thanks so much for sharing my blog post’
My Aunt Billie was born in the Hunter House. in 1927. My grandparents were renting a room there at the time.
Angie, how interesting that you have that connection! Thank you for visiting!
Another beautiful southern town to add to my list! I am a huge fan of white houses with black shutters so this post was some serious eye candy for me! Interesting to learn some of the history as well! Thanks for sharing at Take Me Away again this month! Enjoy your week!
Shelley
Thank you Shelley!