“Old Places Have Soul”
Sarah Anderson
Madison, Georgia is a small town with a big reputation. This town has been voted the #1 small town in America by the Travel Holiday Magazine and was also voted as one of the 16 most picturesque villages in the world by Budget Travel. On top of that, it has been designated as one of the states Historic Heartland Cities. This is a must see town in Georgia if you love antebellum homes and beautiful architecture. This town boast of over 100 antebellum homes that have been meticulously restored. Madison is the county seat of Morgan County and is located only sixty miles east of Atlanta in the Piedmont region of Georgia.
Many of the first settlers to this region, were soldiers who were given land grants for serving their country during the American Revolution. The town was incorporated in 1809 and was named for the 4th US president, James Madison. This is one of the few towns in Georgia that got spared during Sherman’s “March to the Sea”. Locals say it was because the town was so beautiful that it got spared but it appears the truth is Madison was home to a pro-union Congressman and later senator named Joshua Hill who was close to the General William Tecumseh Sherman’s brother in the House of Representatives – thus sparing the town. How lucky are we that this remarkable town was spared for all of us to enjoy.
The town of Madison prospered during the cotton boom when many of the beautiful plantation homes were built. In 1820, Morgan county had a population of 13,520 residents, almost half were slaves. They had many more residents than it does now with a population of just under 4,000.
Joe and I drove into this quaint southern town and parked on the town square. We walked down to see the Town Park which was a beautifully designed park. They had a beautiful antebellum style stage with tall white decorative columns for concerts and outside events. There was also a pretty water fountain, and several nice areas to sit with porch swings and benches. On one side of the park was a beautiful picnic area with a lovely gazebo. There are public restrooms available in the park that are clean. It was very quiet the day we went there with only three elderly gentlemen sitting on a bench and chatting it up, enjoying the day.
In the opposite direction stands Godfrey’s Feed which opened in the late 1870’s and was originally a cotton warehouse that also sold fertilizer and coal. Now they have added feed and have stopped selling coal and stopped warehousing cotton. They offer everything you would need to run a farm.
We ate at Tickled Pig BBQ, which is located in a building attached to an old railroad car. The food was very good and everyone was very friendly. I ordered the smoked chicken and Joe got the brisket. They were both delicious and we were very satisfied. We left filled to the brim.
After having our great lunch, we headed up to the town square where we enjoyed checking out the local stores. Many were being renovated. In the middle of the square was an attractive brick post office that was set back in a park like setting. Across the street was an old bank that was built in 1840 and had decorative original Doric columns fronting the building. It was initially built as the Morgan County Bank. It later became a restaurant which was called “Ye Olde Colonial” which was unique in that you could dine in the old bank vault. It was open for 59 years but closed in 2013. It is now for sale and seems to be a great location for someone wanting to open a business in downtown Madison with all the foot traffic we saw that day. The inside has been beautifully renovated by looking at the pictures of this building online.
Walking around the square, we spotted a sign stating; at this location there once was a hotel that was run by Oliver Hardy’s mom from 1892 to 1898. Oliver Hardy was part of the comedy team of Laurel and Hardy and he lived at this hotel with his mom while living in Madison.
Next, the Morgan County Courthouse. You can’t miss it. This gorgeous, large historic building was built in 1905 replacing the prior courthouse that was built in 1845. That 1845 courthouse replaced one that was built in 1809 which burned down in 1844. It was built in the Beaux Arts style features a portico entrance on the corner facing the square. It was designed by J. S. Golucke and Company and built by the Winder Lumber Company. The beautiful composite columns and large domed cupola makes this building a true work of art. It was renovated in 2005. The statue in front honors those who died while serving our country from Morgan County.
The Madison Morgan Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center is located on another corner of the square. It was built as a firehouse in 1887 and is a beautiful brick ornate building. This appeared to be in the process of being renovated.
We walked down E. Jefferson Street and saw the Rogers House and Rose Cottage. The Rogers House was built in 1809 and is one of the oldest homes in Madison. This home was built right when Madison was established. Reuben Rogers purchased lot #6 out of 48 lots, for $111 and built his two story wooden home in a Piedmont plan style. The home was finished in 1810 and is standing where it did all those years ago. This is the last home standing from the original 48. The home has beautiful decorative touches and a lovely front porch with two gorgeous pink Crape Myrtle trees adorning either side of the front door.
Right next to the Rogers home is the quaint Rose Cottage. I found this home to be fascinating as it was built by an African American lady named Adeline Rose in 1891. She was a hardworking woman who was once a slave. She was very well respected in town for being such a hard worker in the community ironing and washing linens for local homes and for Oliver Hardy’s moms hotel. She was granted a loan of $100 to help her build the home which had three rooms in it. There are two bedrooms and a working area for what was her laundry business. Adeline died in 1959 after living in that home for 68 years. In 1966, the city of Madison moved the home to the current location.
We drove to the Madison Morgan Cultural Center which was built in 1895 as one of the first public graded schools in the Southeast. The term graded school meant that citizens of Madison offered separate classrooms for each grade. This ornate beautiful brick building was built from the Romanesque Revival Style and was a school house for grades one – seven until 1957. It was one of the first brick buildings in the area. This masterpiece was built with a slate roof, electricity, interior finishes of heart pine and plaster. This building has undergone an 18 month reconstruction and is now used as a Theatre for dance, music, lectures, and other programs. The theatre is unique in that it is is an apse shape and can seat 395 people. They left the original woodwork, ceiling, seats and chandelier in the theatre that once served the graded school. The center has an exhibit of one of the old 1895 restored classrooms. This is located at 434 S. Main Street.
We also passed the Georgia Railroad building that was built in 1833 when the railroad reached from Augusta to Madison, Georgia. On September 15, 1845 the railroad reached to all the way to Atlanta. The station was built by John B. Walker and was partially burned on December 3, 1864. Across the tracks stands the depot that was recently moved further away from Godfrey’s Feed. That looks like it will be a nice event area.
We drove around this historic town and saw many of the beautiful antebellum homes. This charming town is a historic gem and we were thrilled we got to spend some time here. Everyone we met displayed that wonderful southern hospitality. If you are ever near this town, you need to stop for a spell and visit. Many things were closed when we were there as of COVID 19. We hope to get back there to see more after this pandemic is over.
Take care everyone and bye for now.
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