Christmas Tour of Homes

Thorson-Haas Home
113 Maple St.
The turn-of-the-century Thorson-Haas Home was the longtime residence of Roy W. Thorson’s family, who were farmers.
The 1.5-story house’s hipped roof extends over the veranda, supported by six Tuscan columns. Sidelights extend to a transom. Large front windows feature leaded glass.
In 1980 Joan Lynch Spruiell purchased the home, updated plumbing/electrical, added a laundry and enlarged the bathroom. After Joan married Scott F. Haas in 1984, they replaced the tin roof with shingles and the verandah’s banister. They also converted the upstairs into a living/bedroom area with en suite and two walk-in closets and renovated the kitchen and downstairs bath.
For two years, Joan and Scott have been remodeling the downstairs, preserving original architectural niceties.
Other distinctions are pocket doors and heart-of-pine floors.

Lewis-Wann-Powell Home
302 Church St.
During Reconstruction, Arthur Holding Lewis built this house in 1873, while courting Mattie Cartwright. Lewis owned a general store at Main and Wise streets. Lewis’ father, Meriwether A. Lewis, was a Triana plantation owner and second cousin to explorer Meriwether Lewis.
In the house, builders used beams and boards from M.A. Meriwether’s salvaged steamboats for floor beams and clapboards.
Fred and Ora B. Wann eventually bought the house. He worked as a clerk, while Ora was Madison Post Master from 1915-1948.
In 2012, Teddy and Rikki Powell purchased the Victorian farmhouse and completed extensive restoration, added rooms and a two-story, two-car garage with upstairs playroom/study.
The house is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Anderson-Sensenberger Home
17 Front St.
Matthew Harvey Anderson, a Madison banker and merchant, built this house in 1897. Dr. James Allen Kyser bought the property in 1926. By mid-century, Billy J. and Nancy Jane Jones of Huntsville bought the house.
The structure later deteriorated to near collapse by the 1990s. In 1997, Tony and Cindy Sensenberger bought the property at auction.
The house’s Victorian architecture uses Tuscan columns and a porch that curves eastward. The multi-gabled, high-pitched roof has a central peak. The home retains original leaded-glass windows, two corner fireplaces and an iron fence.
In massive restoration, the Sensenbergers replaced the house’s rear with a two-story addition, including kitchen and upstairs family area, playroom and bedrooms.

Pride-Bashore Home
320 Martin St.
In 1911, Dr. William Thomas Pride and his wife, Mary Fletcher Pride, built this house on downtown’s eastern edge. Pride served as the second physician to treat Madison citizens.
The Pride-Bashore Home has a large verandah, with an extension of a hipped roof covering the area. The house was constructed in bungalow style, very popular in the early 20th century.
The peaceful setting of this home on a knoll is accentuated by the wooded, winding lane that accesses the property. This layout is quite different from the houses in the central part of town. Charles and Jennifer Bashore now own the home.

Thomas-Wheeler-Vaughn Home
307 Church St.
Thomas and Laura Vaughn own this Queen Anne Victorian home, which Dea T. Thomas built in 1910.
The two-story “T” style features an unusual central entry with a split staircase and a balcony or “open hall.” The home has a full front porch and a second-story sleeping porch in the rear.
Subsequent owners added rooms. In the 1950s, the house was divided into three apartments but later restored to a single-family residence.
Ceilings extend 11 feet downstairs and 9 feet upstairs. The house retains original wide baseboards, bulls-eye window, door trim and three fireplaces.