Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2020 census, Madison had a population of 12,357. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the largest city along the Ohio River between Louisville and Cincinnati. In 2006, the majority of Madison's downtown area was designated a National Historic Landmark—133 blocks of the downtown area is known as the Madison Historic Landmark District. History Madison was laid out and platted in 1810, and the first lots were sold in 1811 by John Paul. It had busy early years due to heavy river traffic and its position as an entry point into the Indiana Territory along the historic Old Michigan Road. Madison's location across the Ohio River from Kentucky, a slave state, made it an important location on the Underground Railroad, which worked to free fugitive slaves. George DeBaptiste's barbershop in town became a nerve center of the local group.Hudson, J. Blaine. Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad in the Kentucky Borderland. McFarland, 2002. p117-118 By 1850, Madison was the third-largest city in Indiana (after New Albany and Indianapolis), and among the 100 largest cities in the U.S.
Indiana's first railroad, the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, was built there from 1836 to 1847. Chartered in 1832 by the Indiana State Legislature as the Madison Indianapolis & Lafayette Railroad, and construction begun September 16, 1836, the railroad was transferred to private ownership on January 31, 1843, as the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad. Successful for more than a decade, the railroad went into decline and was sold at foreclosure in 1862, renamed the Indianapolis & Madison Railroad, and after a series of corporate transfers, became part of the massive Pennsylvania Railroad system in 1921. In March 1924, the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce was founded to aid area business growth and development. Conrail much later bought Pennsylvania Railroad, but the deal left out a stretch of track from North Vernon to Madison. Madison Port Authority purchased this, forming Madison Railroad in 1975.
Madison's days as a leading Indiana city were numbered, however, when river traffic declined and new railroads built between Louisville, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati tapped into Madison's trade network. As a result, Madison's growth did not continue at the same pace it had experienced before the Civil War. During the late nineteenth century, many new buildings were still being built, but in many cases older structures were modernized by adding cast-iron storefronts and ornamental sheet metal cornices. Some earlier buildings survived without major alterations, and the Madison National Landmark Historic District today contains examples of all the major architectural styles of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, from Federal to Art Moderne.
In 1952 the town of North Madison was annexed, becoming a neighborhood of the city, which aided in providing city services to new businesses started in the area.North Madison was once a Sleepy Town. By Phil Cole. Madison Courier, 25 July 2002. Accessed 3 April 2024. A tornado in 1974 destroyed a number of buildings in the neighborhood.
On January 11, 1992, Shanda Sharer was murdered in the city by four teenage girls.
National Register of Historic Places Downtown Madison was granted National Historic Landmark District status in early 2006. On August 25, 2006, just months after the designation, a blaze severely damaged two historic downtown buildings, the Madison Elks Lodge and a former city hall building that was occupied by an insurance company.
The Crawford-Whitehead-Ross House, Jefferson County Jail, Lanier Mansion, Madison Historic District, and Charles L. Shrewsbury House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Jefferson County Courthouse fire
On May 20, 2009, the newly painted dome of the Jefferson County Courthouse caught fire. The blaze started around 6:15 pm. Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into the air and flames rose out of the clock tower. The fire continued to burn for hours. Fire officials reported that the fire was tentatively under control just before 9:45 pm. No major injuries were reported. The dome of the courthouse was being painted in celebration of Madison's bicentennial. On May 28, 2009, the ruined dome was removed from the top of the courthouse in two pieces. Authorities stated that the cause of the fire was a contractor using an open-flame propane torch to solder two pieces of copper together in one of the built-in gutters on the north side of the roof.
Super Outbreak of tornadoes The 1974 Super Outbreak is the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period. From April 3 to April 4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York; and the Canadian province of Ontario. It extensively damaged approximately along a total combined path length of . The 1974 Super Outbreak remains the most outstanding severe convective weather episode of record in the continental United States. The outbreak far surpassed previous and succeeding events in severity, longevity and extent.
Shortly after an F-5 tornado struck Depauw, northwest of Louisville, the Hanover/Madison F4 twister formed near Henryville and traveled through Jefferson County, leveling many structures in the town of Hanover and in Madison. Eleven were killed in this storm, while an additional 300 were injured. According to WHAS-TV in Louisville, 90% of Hanover was destroyed or severely damaged, including the Hanover College campus. Despite the fact that no one was killed or seriously injured at the college, all but one of the college's 33 buildings were damaged, including two that were completely destroyed and six that sustained major structural damage. Hundreds of trees were downed, completely blocking every campus road. All utilities were knocked out and communication with those off campus was nearly impossible. Damage to the campus alone was estimated at $10 million. In Madison, seven fatalities took place, and about 300 homes were destroyed; the tornado also brushed the community of China, causing additional fatalities.
The same storm would later strike the Cincinnati area, producing multiple tornadoes including another F5.
Geography Madison is located at (38.750, −85.395), on the north side of the Ohio River. It is bordered to the south, across the river, by the city of Milton, Kentucky. U.S. Route 421 passes through the center of town, crossing the Ohio into Kentucky on the Milton–Madison Bridge. US-421 leads north to Versailles, Indiana, and south to Campbellsburg, Kentucky. Indiana State Road 7 has its southern terminus in Madison and leads northwest to Vernon. Indiana State Road 56, the Ohio River Scenic Byway, is Madison's Main Street, leading east (upriver) to Vevay and west to Scottsburg. Louisville is southwest of Madison by highway, and Cincinnati is to the northeast.
Madison is bordered to the west by Clifty Falls State Park, encompassing the canyon of Big Clifty Creek and its tributaries, with several waterfalls, as well as high ground rising above the Ohio River valley.
According to the 2010 census, Madison has a total area of , of which (or 96.92%) is land and (or 3.08%) is water.
Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Madison has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Madison had a population of 12,357. The median age was 42.9 years. 18.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 81.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 76.3 males age 18 and over.
92.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 7.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 5,209 households in Madison, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.6% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,786 housing units, of which 10.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 11,183 90.5% Black or African American 268 2.2% American Indian and Alaska Native 33 0.3% Asian 201 1.6% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 4 0.0% Some other race 170 1.4% Two or more races 498 4.0% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 341 2.8%
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 11,967 people, 5,048 households, and 2,951 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,787 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.5% White, 2.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.
There were 5,048 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.5% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.79.
The median age in the city was 42.2 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.8% male and 55.2% female.
2000 census As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $35,092, and the median income for a family was $46,241. Males had a median income of $32,800 versus $22,039 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,923. About 10.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over. Powerboat racing
Madison has a powerboat racing tradition dating back to at least 1911. In 1929, the city began holding an annual race, later called the Madison Regatta beginning in 1948. Since 1954, the Madison Regatta has held a high points Unlimited hydroplane race annually in early July. Although Madison has a population of only 12,000, the regatta maintains its place in Unlimited Hydroplane racing, hosting an H1 Unlimited race, whose other events are in Seattle, San Diego, Guntersville, Alabama, and Tri-Cities, Washington. The Madison Regatta draws about 70,000–100,000 people annually on the July 4 weekend. A week-long riverfront festival also surrounds this racing event.