Georgia > Central Region > Morgan County > Madison

“The town Sherman refused to burn,” Madison abounds in antebellum homes. The city has the largest designated historic district in Georgia, which encompasses most of the town. During the Civil War,  Sherman’s Army spared Madison because it was the home of pro-union Senator Joshua Hill.

Stepping into Madison, Georgia, is like stepping back in time. It lies between the mountains and the plains in the heart of Georgia’s Piedmont country, located in Georgia’s Historic Heartland. It is a living museum containing some of America’s most treasured architecture, the shining gem of Georgia’s Antebellum Trail. A dream like vision of a world gone by, a reminder of a more tranquil, less hurried time. A place where the best of the past merges with the hope of the future. This is the city of Madison, Georgia. Truly “America’s #1 Small Town.”

Top Must Do / Must See / Must Experience in and around Madison

• James Madison Inn (including the spa)
• Heritage Hall
• Madison-Morgan Cultural Center

Links:

• Read more about Madison.

The Jarrell Plantation, originally built in 1847, survived Sherman’s devastating march through Georgia and continued to operate until 1945.

This middle Georgia Jarrell Plantation, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, consists of 20 buildings dating between 1847 and 1945. It has one of the largest and most complete collections of original family artifacts from this time period in Georgia. (more…)

Bulloch Hall, completed in 1839, has been described as one of the most significant houses in Georgia, and one of the South’s few examples of true temple-form architecture.

Don’t miss the home of Theodore Roosevelt’s mother - Roswell’s Bulloch Hall, a Willis Ball design that has been described as one of the most significant antebellum houses in Georgia.

The childhood home of Mittie Bulloch, President Theodore Roosevelt’s mother, this impressive Greek Revival structure completed in 1839 has been described as one of the most significant houses in Georgia and one of the South’s few examples of true temple-form architecture. The floor plan, typical to the period, features a lofty center entrance hall with an equal number of rooms on each side. The house is beautifully furnished with authentic period furniture. The house includes a Museum Room with history of the family. The grounds include reconstructed slave quarters, privy, summer house, wells, gardens and museum shop.

Downdown Madison, one of the communities on the Antebellum Trail

Georgia’s Antebellum Trail is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2009 with the first annual Antebellum Trail Pilgrimage. Comprised of seven communities, this Pilgrimage will transport visitors back in time as they visit historic homes, experience authentic battle sites, view impressive architecture and tour magnificent museums.

Georgia’s Antebellum Trail Pilgrimage will take place on three consecutive weekends this spring. The dates are April 16-18, April 23-25 and April 30-May 2, 2009 from 10am – 4pm. It will feature events and tours along the Trail as well as entrance into private, historic homes not open to the general public. Tickets are $25 and will include access to seven attractions and/or events. The tickets can be purchased at any of the Welcome Centers along the trail. To enhance the visitor’s experience, complementing tours and free events and activities will be featured throughout the Pilgrimage weekends. Please call 800-709-7406 for more information.