Madison Historical Society opens Allis-Bushnell House to all

  The Madison Historical Society will open its ca.1785 Allis-Bushnell House to the public, free of charge, on Saturday, November 30 from 1 to 4 pm.  Visitors are invited to tour the historic home and learn about the history of Madison through interpreters, who will guide visitors through the five rooms on the first floor of the house.  Each room is set up to tell the story of a specific time period in Madison's history, from a tea and spinning party given by patriotic women in 1769, to an abolitionist meeting in 1842, to a tea given in 1920 to celebrate the ratification of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote.     The Allis-Bushnell House is located at 853 Boston Post Road in Madison, CT 06443. It was built ca. 1785 and enlarged to two stories in 1815.  A Victorian wing was added in 1860.  The Colonial post and beam construction still remains, as do other early architectural features.  The rooms contain period furniture and decorative arts, including paintings, china and glassware.  The house is well known for its most famous resident, Cornelius Scranton Bushnell, financier of the ironclad warship U.S.S. Monitor.      For more information on the open house, please call the Madison Historical Society at 203-245-4567 or visitwww.madisoncthistorical.org.