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The WH Paul-Peeples house with its beautiful landscaping overtaking the front exterior view. CONTRIBUTED -
The Serenata Farm is a blended 19th century farmhouse and 21st century Greek Revival manor. CONTRIBUTED
Welcome to the 2024 Spring Tour of Homes and Gardens presented by the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center on April 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Experience the living history of Madison while strolling through a collection of the city’s finest, architecturally significant private homes and intimate gardens: The Jessup-Atkinson-Lindsey House, ca. 1819, Boxwood, ca 1851, WH Paul-Peeples, 1919, Lanier - Roberts House, ca 1900, and Serenata Farm ca 1842 and renovation 2012.
The 2024 tour reflects an architecturally diverse grouping of homes and a variety of garden landscapes. The five showcase homes and their gardens, each have their unique charm and history, and reflect each homeowner’s balance of preserving historical attributes with their blend of modern features.
The Jessup-Atkinson-Lindsey home is a stunning example of how a home with humble beginnings was reoriented to the front entrance to face Main Street to follow the fashion at the time. Owners Shea and Charles Lindsey have added their personal touches with the assistance of Shea’s son, interior and floral designer Zeb Grant. From exquisite furnishings to antique crystal chandeliers, their home is welcoming and breathtaking.
As one of the most architecturally significant homes in the state, because of its dual facades and gardens, Boxwood is etched on the official seal of the City of Madison. During the 118-year ownership of the Newton family, the home has been continually updated sensitively and stylishly, which has preserved the historical integrity of the house. Boxwood takes its name from the intricate formal gardens that are original to the property and virtually unchanged for more than a century and a half.
The WH Paul-Peeples home is one of three Madison homes documented to have been built before 1920 from plans prepared by noted Atlanta/Decatur architect Leila Ross Wilburn (1885-1967). The Georgia Women of Achievement project describes Wilburn as “one of the pioneering women architects in the United States.”
Guests enter the “receiving room” from the front porch under the watchful eye of photographs of Denise Peeples’ grandparents. Visitors turn left into the living room and confront a huge mirror that the Peeples acquired in Paris. Throughout the house, the furnishing and décor reflect the owner’s tastes and charming style.
Classified as a Folk Victorian, the Lanier-Roberts house has unique double gables, a bay window, and a corner wrap porch. The present owners, Guy and Helene Roberts, lined the central hall with bookcases accessed by a rolling library ladder and stocked with hundreds of books representing their respective interests in design, art, and international affairs. A bust of Lincoln sculpted by Helene, who signs her work HeRo, sits on one of the shelves.
Several other of her original works, including the concrete, glass, and steel dining room table, grace the house.
A uniquely beautifully blended 19th-century farmhouse and 21st-century Greek Revival manor, Serenata Farm, sits on 55 acres of the rolling Piedmont Hills of Morgan County.
The original brick farmhouse is difficult to date, however, a brick etched ca 1842, and the 1883 County Deed Book, indicate it was already a distinctive property by the 19th Century. It is also noted that the original home could be one of the oldest remaining brick structures in the region. In 2012 the renovation inspired by the columned Hollywood vision of Tara from “Gone With The Wind,” was completed.
Owners, Becky and John Orr have retained the home's classical exterior and made cosmetic improvements in the elegant interior of the main house and the original general store.
The tour also includes four historic churches, several historic museums, and other structures.
Purchase tickets through April 15 for $30. Walk-up tickets are available for purchase on April 19 20 for $40 at the Cultural Center. All attendees begin their tour at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center located at 434. S. Main St. in Madison, Georgia. The tour is self-guided.
For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.mmcc-arts.org or call the Cultural Center at 706-342- 4743.