Saturday / June 10 / 11 am – 3 pm
Allis-Bushnell House
853 Boston Post Road
The MHS welcomes visitors to its historic house museum, the Allis-Bushnell House on Saturday, June 10, from 11 am to 3 pm as part of Connecticut Open House Day, an annual event held on the second Saturday of June. Open House Day is a state-wide effort to inspire Connecticut residents to learn about all the experiences available in their own backyards and many museums, historical sites, and cultural institutions offer free admission on this special day.
On Open House Day, visitors can tour the downstairs rooms, which are curated to represent five distinct periods in Madison’s history. In the colonial kitchen, knowledgeable guides will tell the story of Abigail Meigs who organized a spinning party in 1769 to protest British taxes on such goods as tea and textiles. In the dining room, docents talk about Captain Frederick Lee who, in May 1826, hosted a party celebrating the establishment of the newly named town of Madison.
The tour continues to the year 1842 when an abolitionist meeting is known to have taken place at the house when it was owned by Nathan and Chloe Bushnell. In the Victorian parlor, guides will describe fourteen-year-old Emilie Ely, who wrote passionately to her sister about Madison’s Civil War draft in 1862. The final stop on the tour is the 1920 Tea Room, designed to evoke the spirit of Susan Josephine Hart on the day the women of Madison learned that they had won the right to vote.
Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the guided tour or simply wander through the house’s first-floor rooms at their leisure. A scavenger hunt for historic objects related to the historical periods highlighted on the tour will provide entertainment to all who attend. Light refreshments will be served.
No advance registration is required and admission is free. For more information, visit madisonhistory.org or call 203-245-4567.