jeremiah sullivan house

Very lovely historic home. The guide was informative, but slightly aloof. Sort of a turn off! Décor was authentic and very well preserved.

This was one of my favorite stops. It is no way on scale with the Lanier Mansion but very special. Our guide was happy to show us the home on the first floor and sent us on our way to the second floor and the basement. The basement was by far the best part. The basement kitchen had numerous items, many listed in a catalog with their uses which I had never seen before or hadn't seen in this kind of setting. Be careful, the steps are very steep. Out back it is the huge baking kitchen and smokehouse. Upstairs was nice, one room reserved for a weaving club which I thought was a shame but the other rooms had the appropriate furnishings although only a few were originally belonging to the Sullivan family.

Some interesting history about the Sullivan's in this house, there is a lot of the old furniture from the Sullivan's, not recreated, which makes it more interesting to see.

It is a museum house that was built in 1818 and is kept in that period. If you like touring historic homes, you will enjoy seeing what was considered to be Madison's first mansion. I like to go there every time I visit Madison.

The docent gave us a relaxed tour of the first floor and then suggested we take a look in the basement at the "real kitchen" before going upstairs to look around. Steps to the basement are narrow and steep, but led to an open room with an enormous cooking fireplace. It was nice to freely roam through the upstairs rooms and explore at our own pace. The booklets in each room provided detailed information about the rooms and their furnishings. When we came back to the main level, the docent took us outside to see the bake house and the smoke house next to the garden. We rather enjoyed this more relaxed tour of an historical site.

This property, with its two-story veranda, large courtyard on the east side, and carriage house at the alley, does a good job of showing the splendor and opulence of the moneyed class in early Madison. The furnishings and decor carry that them to the inside. Well worth visiting.

This is a charming old house that tells the history of the family who lived here. There are three stories with lots to see on each. The top is a small museum that lets you see a little of the personal history of this prominent family. Fee is reasonable and can be bought as a combo ticket with the Dr's office a few blocks away.

This is another of Historic Madison, Inc. properties that is included in the combo ticket and of all of the properties to tour, this was easily my favorite. If the Lanier mansion is the grand dame of madison, then this has to be the favorite uncle. The "first" mansion of madison, built in 1818, this house doesn't have the grandeur of Lanier, but if you enjoy rooming through fascinating houses with room after room, this is the place to go. There are four floors of rooms to wander through at your own pace, original furnishings and a fascinating history. The docent will delight you with the life of Jeremiah Sullivan while touring you through the ground floor rooms and then turn you loose to wander up the three stairs that take you from fascinating floor after floor all the way to the attic. In addition, there is a huge basement. If you have ever restored an older home, as I have, you will find this one totally thrilling to see. I could have spent hours here and could see me living in this wonderful house. If you only add one more property to your visit to Madison, add this one, but do yourself a favor, if you drive this far to see this wonderful little town full of historic buildings, visit as many as you can. I visited six properties and spent less than $20. This house has a lot of stairs so I do not recommend it for anyone who has difficulty climbing stairs.