Over 45 historic homes in Madison open for tours during Fall Ramble, Oct. 13-15
More than 45 historic homes and sites in Madison, Ga. will be open for tours during the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Fall Ramble, Oct. 13-15. The event will offer visitors and residents alike a rare opportunity to explore private homes not usually open to the public and significant historic sites.
On Friday, “ramblers” will tour a wide variety of architectural styles spanning the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries including Cedar Lane Farm, an authentically restored 1830s farmhouse with award-winning formal gardens, and Hilltop, the historic home of the Lambert family since 1923.
Saturday’s Ramble will begin at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center with a brief orientation and history of the city, followed by a book lecture about the Trust’s new publication “Architecture of the Last Colony” by editor Mark McDonald.
Sites on Saturday’s Ramble include the Joshua Hill House, a c. 1842 house that was built for Senator Joshua Hill, the “man who saved Madison” from Sherman’s March to the Sea; the Peter Walton House, one of Madison’s most impressive Queen Anne style mansions; and Boxwood, a historic residence that was featured in Garden & Gun magazine.
On Sunday, Oct. 15, registrants will explore Bonar Hall, a Georgian manor house with formal gardens; the Foster-Thomason-Miller-Minnix House, a former Georgia Trust Place in Peril that has undergone an extensive restoration; and several downtown residential lofts.
The Ramble also includes special dining experiences held at historic sites throughout the weekend. After Friday’s Ramble, guests are invited to dinner and cocktails on the grounds of The Oaks, a rarely-open-to-the-public 1832 Greek Revival private residence located in the Morgan County countryside. Saturday morning, guests will be served breakfast at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, a restored 1895 Romanesque Revival building that was once home to one of the South’s first graded public schools. On Saturday night, “ramblers” will enjoy dinner and cocktails at Boxwood, one of the most prominent homes in Madison. Finally, a Sunday brunch will be held at Empire Mills, a former oil mill complex that has been rehabilitated into a uniquely beautiful event venue.
Tickets will be available through Wednesday, October 11. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit GeorgiaTrust.org.
About Rambles
Rambles feature tours and social events in historic properties not usually open to the public. Tours of historic homes and buildings are self-guided, and guests provide their own transportation. These trips attract hundreds of participants per Ramble and are offered two weekends each year in the fall and spring. Recent Rambles have included Atlanta, Augusta and Macon.
About the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Celebrating 50 years, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use.
As one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations, the Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust honors preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards and recognizes students and professionals with the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House). To learn more, visit georgiatrust.org.
Boxwood, Madison. Image by Diane Kirkland
