Madison, Georgia

Last week we visited the Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum in Madison, GA. After our stop at the museum we headed into the downtown area of Madison.

We took a brief ride around the town square in an open air car called the Lady Buggie. The ride around the city is free and helps to get an idea of what to see and the places to visit.

Madison is a lovely small town and it's very clear that the people who live here take great pride in their city.

A small but beautiful private courtyard

The town of Madison was once located on the stagecoach route between Charlestown and New Orleans. When the railroad pushed east from Augusta along that same stagecoach route Madison's citizens fought to preserve their downtown. The town deeded land to the railroad and arranged for the tracks to skirt the town. The town was spared during the civil war and rode out the boll weevil destruction of the cotton crop but by the end of WW II the population had declined and the economy had slowed down. For the next 30 years the town continued in a state of decline. Then in the 1970's with a renewed interest in preservation many of the older homes and businesses were purchased and restored. Today Madison is a lovely small town with a lot of charm and some beautifully restored spaces.

Small public park

 

While we were there I had a chance to visit a couple of these lovingly restored homes. The first place I visited was the Rose Cottage. This was a small home built by a former slave, Adeline Rose. Adeline earned a living by taking in laundry. Truck load sized loads of washing and ironing for which she earned 50 cents a load. Rose and her family lived in that little house for 68 years. It was moved to its present location by the city of Madison so that it could be preserved.

Picture of Adeline Rose

Adeline Rose

I also stopped in at the Madison Tea Room. What a gorgeous place. On the day I visited it was decked out for a wedding party. Just lovely. I managed to take a few pictures.

Hats - It's a Southern thing

I'm going to try and get back to Madison when it is decorated for the holidays. Historic and private home tours take place between November 30th and December 1st.

The visit to the Weiner Microcar Museum and the visit to Madison are part of our effort to get out and see the local sites of whatever area we find ourselves in. You never know what's right outside your front door unless you get out there and take a look.

Happy travels!