Allis-Bushnell House and Museum - Madison, Connecticut

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Allis-Sushnell House and Museum - Madison, Connecticut

Built in the timeframe of 1785 htis house was at one time the home of Cornelius Scranton Bushnell, a railroad executive and shipbuilder, who played an important role in the building of the Civil War ironclad, better known as the U.S.S. Monitor.  This ship was in the first ever naval battle between two ironclad warships.  The Monitor was 172 feet long and possessed two 11 inch smoothbore Dahlgren guns on revolving turret.

The Monitor was lighter in weight than the Merrimac and therefore able to be very mobile.  The strange appearance of the Monitor, with it being mostly underwater except for the gun turret, had Confederate sailors puzzled by its appearance when it entered into battle on March 6, 1862.  It had no sails, no visible guns, and no smokestack.  But when the turret of the Monitor surned around and fired at the Merrimac, every naval craft in the world became immediately obsolete.

Cornelius Scranton Bushnell was also the founder of the Union Pacific Railway.  In the early twentierth century, the house was the home and office of Dr. Milo Rindye.  Currently it is the home of the Madison Hisotrical Society.

The museum is two level.  People with disabilities that require the use of a wheelchair should call in advance so that accommodations for your visit may be made.  The upper level of the house is not accessible to people with disabilities that require a wheelchair. 

Please leave strollers outside or in your car.

Location: 853 Boston POst Rd., Madsion, CT 06443

Phone: 203-245-4567

Open: June - August

Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 11 - 4.  Closed on New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Tours, both guided and self-guided are available.  The tours are usually one hour in length.

The grounds are open year-round.  Visitors are welcome to enjoy the formal herb garden from 8 am to sundown.  Picnicking is permitted on the back lawn.

There is no charge for guided tours of the Allis-Bushnell House and its Annex.  Your donations, however, are gratefully accepted.