The town that Sherman spared

Madison, GA

In 1864, during the American Civil War, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman led a military campaign that is referred to as the “March to the Sea” when he and his troops left Atlanta, Georgia on November 15 and marched to capture the port of Savannah on December 21. Along the way they disrupted the Confederacy’s economy by destroying not only military facilities, but industry, infrastructure and civilian property. This strategy as well as the Union blockages of Confederate seaports crippled the South.

Sherman’s scorched earth campaign left towns in smouldering ruins as the troops moved on, except not Madison. There are a few theories as to why Madison was spared. Some say it’s just because Sherman thought it was the prettiest of towns, but many think it’s because it was the home of pro-Union Georgia Senator Joshua Hill and he was friends of Sherman’s brother who he met at West Point and Sherman’s brother had promised his friend with a handshake that it would be spared.

For whatever reason, it’s fabulous that Madison was spared as it’s now one of the largest historic districts in the state and the town has maintained and restored over 100 antebellum houses built in the cotton-boom times in the mid-1800’s making it one of the largest concentrations of antebellum houses in the south.

Today, tourism is thriving in Madison with many of the historic homes having been turned in to beautiful Bed and Breakfasts, and the town square and surrounding streets teeming with lovely gift shops and restaurants.

And today, thanks to Marilyn, I spent a fabulous day in Madison, admiring the architecture and experiencing the restaurants and shops. Marilyn trekked out to Greensboro and picked me up and allowed me to have a rare day of not planning routes or destinations or making any decisions whatsoever. It was such a treat, and so much fun. The countryside between the two towns is so pretty with undulating hills, covered in a million shades of green, and sprinkled with lakes and rivers.

Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and it rained off and on most of the day, at one point coming down so hard we pulled over and sat because you couldn’t see 5 feet in front of you. We just grabbed our umbrellas and went exploring. We stopped in at the visitor’s centre, set in a 1880’s red brick building on the town square and I got a couple of brochures on Savannah as well as information on Madison from the friendly folks there. And we poked around at some of the shops around the square.

Then I was in for a real treat, a high tea service at the Madison Tea Room & Garden. The sandwiches, the world’s smallest salad and pastries were absolutely fabulous, and the service was impeccable. After behaving ourselves through tea, we got to let our goofy sides show through and tried on some fun hats.

Then Marilyn drove around the core of the town so we could see one after another of the most fabulous antebellum restored homes. Most are set on huge lots, with beautiful gardens which are just now leaping to life. Styles included Victorian, Plantation style, Arts and Crafts, and some modest but beautifully painted and decorated homes as well. The main street leading into town is lined by the most impressive of the homes and also includes a huge Roman Revival building that has been turned into a cultural centre.

The rain let up a bit and so we hit some more of the shops that included a beautiful florist, several really nice antique stores, gift shops and lovely clothing stores. And true to form, we stopped for ice cream, which is one of Marilyn’s favourites.