Vernacular Construction

VERNACULAR CONSTRUCTION. Madison first expanded northwest between the Madison Female Academy and the town spring, one branch of Tanyard Branch-so named for the tanning of animal hides on this site. The branch descends from the Main Street ridgeline and is paralleled by W. Washington St. (previously Bridge Street) in an area formerly filled with small and vernacular structures.

The Richter House survives as such modest construction, an 1820s one-room building thought to have served the tannery operation but remodeled to be a residence in 1842 when growth arrived with the Georgia Railroad. Similar structures, once found throughout early Madison have disappeared, especially in the more fashionable upslope parts of town.

By 1975 the Richter House's severe disrepair and threatened demolition inspired Dr. Josephine Brandon and a group of 7th grade students to begin a program of restoration. Under the leadership of retired Georgia Archivist Carroll Hart, Morgan County Landmarks Society completed the restoration and opened it as a museum and center for local history education.

City of Madison, Madison Bicentennial Commission 1809-2009 A Preserve America Community