This central hallway cottage with Victorian embellishments was owned by Adeline Rose, a Black entrepreneur who earned her living as a washerwoman. Born towards the end of slavery, Rose built this home in 1891. She was a widower with three children (John, W. M., and Lillian). (Note: This is different than other accounts I read about her, but I based it on doing genealogical research and her obituary.)

Much of her business was from The Hardy House, a hotel owned by Mary Hardy, the mother of Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy fame.

In 1996, Madison city officials moved the home closer to downtown to serve as a testament to Adeline Rose. It is now a house museum.