The Tour of Homes in Madison, Georgia...or..."America's Prettiest Small Town"

This weekend, I went to the annual Christmas Tour of Homes in Madison, Georgia. You may not be familiar with Madison, but in my neck of the woods, it is very well-known. It was voted the "Prettiest Small Town in America" by Holiday Traveler Magazine and is also called the "Town that Sherman Refused to Burn" during the Civil War. It was saved because there was an important Northern sympathizer who lived there. That was really lucky for Madison since over 100 Antebellum homes are still standing. We started our tour at Heritage Hall. It was built in 1811 by Dr. Elijah Evans Jones for his wife and five children. In 1912, the house was moved on logs by teams of horses and mules to its current location to make way for the Methodist Church. It is now owned by the Morgan County Historical Society.

When you enter the home, you are greeted by this wonderful garland on the banister. Isn't it gorgeous? I love the pheasant feathers in the arrangement! This is the only time of year that I wish I had stairs. Remember that you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them!

This organ is located in one of the parlors. I thought it was beautiful! However, the lady in the portrait, even with the glare, looks very unhappy, doesn't she? Maybe they made her take piano lessons like I had to...hmmmmmmm.

This is, of course, the dining room. It's really hard to get a shot of an entire room with all of those pesky tourists getting in the way. Look...there are plates on the wall! You can get a little peek into the parlor, too.

Here's a close-up of the centerpiece on the table. Isn't the silver urn gorgeous? Most of the homes used fresh fruit in their arrangements. The docent told us that was typical of the period. (Here I must add that I just learned that word from Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. I am really glad I did because I then heard several of the guides answer when asked if they were the owner..."No, I am the docent." I don't know how I managed to live this long without knowing it, so I thought I would share it with you just in case.)

This is one of the bedrooms and it had quite an interesting story. They call it the Ghost Room. The doctor's daughter died here, apparently due to difficulties in childbirth, and the baby died as well. Now the room is believed to be haunted by her ghost. The docent showed me a series of cracks in the hearth which are in the shape of a woman holding a baby. It seems that several attempts to repair it have failed...it always returns. The image would not show up in my photos, but I have found an article about the ghost and her story, including an excellent photo. If you would like to read more, click on this link:
http://www.friendsofheritagehall.org/FallLakelifestory.pdf

This beautiful little lamp was beside the bed in the Ghost Room. I knew I had to get a photo of it for the lamp people out there! Isn't it gorgeous?

I am so pleased that this showed up so well in the photo. It seems that there are seven windows in the house that were etched by the children. Isn't this amazing? However, if you ask me, they had waaaay too much time on their hands! They should have had a Wii or something!

This is a little bed in the children's bedroom. Isn't it cute? It's a miniature of an adult bed. I really hadn't thought about it, but we don't make tiny beds for our children.

These beautiful little dresses were also hanging in the children's room. I love all of the lace!

Next, we went to the Edmund Walker townhouse. It was built in1838 by Mr. Walker, who had extensive land holdings and resided on a plantation called "Walker Rest." Like many of the planters of that time, he built this home in town so that his wife and children could take advantage of the educational opportunities and the social life in Madison.

I loved the kitchen fireplace! The mantel is decorated with a simple string of real apples.

Here is the dining room, of course. Isn't the centerpiece gorgeous? As you may know, the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality. And...look at that wonderful collection of flow blue plates! I was salivating!

This is the master bedroom. The current owners stripped all of the paint to give a more authentic feel to the room. The docent told us that the original owner, Mr. Walker, had his coffin made before he died and kept it in the attic. He would go up on a regular basis and lie down in it to make sure that it still fit!

Isn't this an interesting piece? It's an old cabinet removed from a local hardware store. It originally had a large stand underneath with drawers and a rod down the center so that it would turn. We actually saw a complete piece in another home, but were not allowed to take pictures there. :-(

This home is called Thurleston and was built around 1800 as a plantation home. It was moved into Madison in 1818 to serve as a town house. The front portion of the house was added in 1848. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph inside, but the outside was so beautiful that I wanted you to see it.

The home was surrounded by beautiful gardens. I love the way they used the teapot as a garden ornament!

Ahhhh...now...my favorite home on the tour and you will see why! This is the Starke-Hunt-Freisen home built in 1837 by John W. Starke. Like many of the homes in Madison, it has gone through a series of owners and changes. The original home was L-shaped and had 3 rooms upstairs and 3 rooms downstairs.

Look at the amazing garland of natural greenery and the massive wreath! I love magnolia leaves in Christmas decorations. They add such an elegant touch.

Here is the parlor. I love the fireplace and those stockings! I bet you're beginning to think that there wasn't much that I didn't love and you'd be right! Now....hang on to your hats, because you are about to see why I love this house.....

You guessed it!!! PLATES! If you have seen my house, you know I love blue and white plates on a yellow wall. But wait...it gets better!

Here is the dining room. I'm lovin' that chandy! Kristen, Lynne, Melissa and Vanna...are you starting to see what I am going to show you??? I'm sooo excited!

You're getting a little peek. Here's the gorgeous Christmas tree as well.....and.....

Look...there are your drapes!!! Well, almost....a smaller pattern, but very similar! And look how wonderful they look with those Old Britain Castles plates! Ohhhhhh....I am keeping a secret that I will soon reveal in another post.

This is the master bedroom. Isn't it beautiful? Notice that there are more plates!

I took this shot without the flash so you could see the Christmas tree. Imagine waking up every morning in this room!

This is the Rogers house which was built by Reuben Rogers in 1809. It was the first home in Madison. He bought the lot for $100 and built the home for $400 and then sold it in 1812 for $1000...quite a profit, huh? Significant changes have been made to this house over time. It now belongs to the City of Madison.

This is the parlor. I love the fireplace. Look at the rug in front of it...it's painted canvas.

Here is a close-up of it. It does not date from the period, but it is typical. The details are incredible!

This is the dining room. Of course, I loved the colors!

Another beautiful natural arrangement was on the sideboard.

Here's a shot for all you tablescape people!

Here is a bed dating from the period. A feather bed would have been placed on the ropes, which had to be tightened occasionally.

I loved the fireplace, but I especially loved the decorations.

Can you see? It's the little segments of a yo-yo quilt strung together and finished with little buttons! Isn't that clever?

Here is the mantel in one of the other bedrooms. Ooops...a little sideways...sorry! Notice the figurine....

I later saw it in an antique store. It's a Staffordshire piece from 1870 called "Harvest Festival." Isn't it beautiful? I makes me think of that scene at the end of Jane Austen's Emma.

And finally....yes, I know, I got carried away....this is the Rose Cottage, also owned by the City of Madison. It has an amazing history. It was built in 1891 by Adeline Rose, a lady born into slavery. She was earning her living by taking in washing at 50 cents a load. She paid $10.50 for the lumber. Imagine how many loads it must have taken for her to save up that much money! Remember, she was having to live and feed her children from that money, too.

Here is her portrait which hangs over one of the mantels. You have to admire her determination and her gumption. She lived in the house for 68 years!

Here is her ironing board. Notice that it is simply put between two chairs.

Here is the iron that she actually used. Hot coals would have been put inside to create heat. Isn't it incredible to think about the amount of work that she did for 50 cents? I think this home tugged at my heart more than any of the others.

Well...that's the end of our tour. I don't know about you, but I need a little something after all of that walking! Ohhhhhh! How about a big ol' piece of caramel cake and a mocha cappuccino? You know it's low fat and good for you, too! lol I hope you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for sticking with me 'til the end. Now if you'll excuse me....snarf, snarf, snarf....