Tel: 203.245.4567 Email: office@madisonhistory.org

Allis-Bushnell House

The
Allis-Bushnell
House

853 Boston Post Road

Open on every first and third
Saturday of each month
from 11 am to 1 pm.
Admission is free. Donations are welcome. 

Visitors to the Allis-Bushnell House are welcome on every first and third Saturday of each month from 11 am to 1 pm. Visitors are invited to tour the home on their own. Docents are available to answer questions and provide further information.

SUMMER MARKET

During the 2026 summer season, the MHS Summer Market will be held in the back lawn area of the Allis-Bushnell House grounds. See the MHS Summer Market schedule for details.

CURRENT EXHIBIT / SPRING 2026
A TOWN NAMED MADISON: CELEBRATING 200 YEARS

This exhibit shares the stories of people who shaped our town with their photography, poetry, and philanthropy. Displays honoring notable Madison figures, featuring audio recordings and narrations, are among the museum’s latest offerings. Guests are invited to explore the lower level of the house museum to discover these stories and view remarkable artifacts.

GIFT SHOP

While you explore this historic house, consider the gifts in our shop for the history lovers in your life.

Discover such timeless treasures as books, note cards, posters, and other unique finds that tell the story of historic Madison and much more.

About the Allis-Bushnell House

The home's lower-level rooms, each with distinct period architectural features, are decorated with period furniture, domestic implements, decorative arts, and paintings that illustrate life in the house as it was during colonial days, the Revolutionary War period, the Civil War period, and the Colonial Revival era.

The upper-level rooms offer storage for our collections and workrooms for our staff. They are not open to the public.

The house is also open on occasion for special events and exhibits and for our History Happy Hours.  Public tours are given on the first and third Saturdays each month from March through December, on CT Open House Day in early June, and on the fourth Saturday in November, following Thanksgiving.

The Allis-Bushnell House Annex

The MHS Annex, which stands beside the Allis-Bushnell House driveway, is an intriguing repository for practical implements and tools of all kinds. Along with these artifacts is an exhibit about the history of shipbuilding in Madison during the height of the nineteenth-century maritime era.

Important Visitor Information

In addition to the public hours listed above, tours can be requested by special appointment. Parking is available in a small lot at the back of the house or along the small lane that parallels the Boston Post Road. The house may also be rented for parties, meetings, workshops, and special occasions. Please call in advance to request rates and information.

Curious about our Historic Paint Colors?

After extensive research and consultation with experts in 2014, the Allis-Bushnell House received a fresh coat of paint.


Its clapboards are a color called Knightley Straw, originally made by California Paints.
We continue to use that color, with paint made by Benjamin Moore in their Low Lustre Regal Select product.


Its exterior trim is a color called White Dove, in Regal Select, Soft Gloss, by Benjamin Moore.
Its Annex is Hepplewhite Ivory by Benjamin Moore.

Our Thanks are Due

The Allis-Bushnell House was painted and re-roofed in 2014, due to the generosity of a private donor and additional gifts from MHS members and many citizens of Madison. In 2015, the House received a new septic system, three new furnaces, a new kitchen, an ADA-compliant exterior walkway, and an ADA-compliant restroom, also supported with funds from members and a generous private donor. In 2017, a generous donation allowed us to repair and restore our two chimneys and four fireplaces, enabling their safe use for hearth dinners.

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