Madison

City of Madison
—  City  —
Jefferson County Courthouse in Madison
Location in the state of Indiana
Coordinates: 38°45′0″N 85°23′43″W / 38.75°N 85.39528°W / 38.75; -85.39528
Country	United States
State	Indiana
County	Jefferson
Government
- Mayor	Timothy L. Armstrong (D)
Area
- Total	8.9 sq mi (23.0 km2)
- Land	8.6 sq mi (22.2 km2)
- Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)  3.72%
Elevation	489 ft (149 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	12,004
- Density	1,402.9/sq mi (541.4/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	47250
Area code(s)	812
FIPS code	18-45990[1]
GNIS feature ID	0438468[2]
Website	http://madison-in.gov/

Madison is a city in Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 12,004 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County.^[3] In 2006, the majority of Madison's downtown area was designated one of the largest national historic landmarks in the United States—133 blocks of the downtown area is on the National Register of Historic Places as Madison Historic District. On August 25, 2006, 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.^[4]

Geography

Madison is located at 38°45′0″N 85°23′43″W / 38.75°N 85.39528°W / 38.75; -85.39528 (38.750089, -85.395394)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 square miles (23.0 km²), of which, 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (3.72%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile (541.4/km²). There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1/sq mi (252.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.61% White, 2.43% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 5,092 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

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.

History

Historic buildings line the north side of Main Street in Madison.

Settlers populated Madison beginning as early as 1806, and the town officially incorporated on April 1, 1809. It had flush early years due to heavy river traffic and its position as an entry point into the Indiana Territory along the historic Old Michigan Road.

Indiana's first railroad, the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, was built there between 1836 and 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.

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 went into an economic decline. As an unexpected benefit, today the town's previous misfortune leaves for us an extensive preserved collection of early 19^th century architecture in the Federal and Greek Revival styles.

Jefferson County Courthouse fire

The Jefferson County Courthouse dome engulfed in flames.

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 in 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 dome was removed from the top of the courthouse in two pieces. They were examined in the alley between the Courthouse and the Jefferson County Jail. Authorities have stated that the cause of the fire was a contractor soldering two pieces of copper together, which caught a wooden part of the dome on fire^{[citation needed]}.

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 with H1 Unlimited, whose other races are in Detroit, Seattle, San Diego, Evansville, and Tri-Cities, Washington. The Madison Regatta draws about 70,000-100,000 people annually and is held on 4th of July weekend. A week-long riverfront festival also surrounds this racing event.

A source of community pride is that Madison has the world's only community-owned unlimited hydroplane racer, Miss Madison, which began Unlimited class racing in 1961. The boat, which has been known by various corporate sponsor names but is officially called U-6, has traditionally finished near the bottom of the circuit. Before Anheuser-Busch dropped its sponsorship of hydroplane racing after the 2004 season, U-6 had won just six races using a variety of hulls. One of those wins was an upset in the 1971 Regatta, which is the basis for the movie Madison, when the APBA Gold Cup was held in Madison for the first time. Madison hosted the APBA Gold Cup Race again in 1979 and 1980. Under the aegis of the new H1 Unlimited, the City of Madison team driver, Steve David, finished first in the H1 Unlimited national point drivers standings in both 2005 and 2006 driving U-6, now in the colors of sponsor Oh Boy! Oberto. In 2008 The Miss Madison won its first H1 Unlimited National High Points Championship as the Oh Boy! Oberto.

Education

Madison Consolidated Schools

• Madison Consolidated High School
• E.O. Muncie Elementary School

Southwestern Schools

• Southwestern Junior and Senior High School

Prince of Peace Catholic Schools

• Shawe Memorial High School
• Pope John XXIII Elementary School

Other Private Schools

• Christian Academy of Madison

In popular culture

Two Hollywood films have been shot in Madison. In the fall of 1958 it was selected as the location for Some Came Running, and in 2001 was the subject and location of Madison.

Madison recounts the story of the city's hosting and winning the penultimate hydroplane racing event of 1971, echoing the movie Hoosiers.

For Some Came Running, director Vincente Minnelli selected Madison in 1958 to play the role of the fictional Parkman, Indiana in filming the James Jones novel. On September 3, 1999, the community held an organized celebration to mark the 40^th anniversary of the making of the film, which itself became the subject of a film documentary by Turner Classic Movies.

Notable residents

• Irene Dunne, five-time Academy Award-nominatee for best actress
• James Lanier, chartered the State Bank of Indiana in 1833; built the Lanier Mansion
• Jeremiah C. Sullivan, attorney, American Civil War general in the Union Army
• Tommy Thevenow, major league baseball player from 1924-1938

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
• Lanier Mansion, an 1844 Greek Revival home
• Madison Historic District

References

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (May 2009)

External links

• Madison, Indiana is at coordinates 38°45′00″N 85°23′43″W / 38.750089°N 85.395394°W / 38.750089; -85.395394 (Madison, Indiana)Coordinates: 38°45′00″N 85°23′43″W / 38.750089°N 85.395394°W / 38.750089; -85.395394 (Madison, Indiana)
• City of Madison, Indiana website
• Madison, Indiana Visitors Bureau
• Madison-Jefferson County Public Library
• River to Rail: transportation history of Madison, Indiana
• Lemen Photo Collection: historic photos of Madison and Jefferson County, Indiana
• The Madison Courier - Established in 1837
• A brief history of the Madison Regatta
• inMadison.org - Online Directory & Tourism Guide
• Madison Area Chamber of Commerce
• Madison Indiana Guide

v • d • e   State of Indiana Indianapolis (capital) Topics Demographics · Economy · Geography · Government · Governor (List) · Congressional districts (Delegations) · History · Hoosiers · City Nicknames · National Historic Landmarks · Sports · State parks · Symbols · Transportation · Visitor Attractions · Index of Indiana-related articles · Outline Regions East Central Indiana · Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky Tri-State Area · Michiana · Northern Indiana · Northwest Indiana · Southern Indiana · Southwestern Indiana · Wabash Valley Largest cities Indianapolis · Fort Wayne · Evansville · South Bend · Gary · Hammond · Bloomington · Muncie · Lafayette · Carmel · Anderson · Terre Haute · Elkhart · Kokomo · Mishawaka · Richmond · Columbus · Lawrence · Jeffersonville · Greenwood · New Albany · Portage · Michigan City · East Chicago · Goshen · Marion · Valparaiso · Noblesville · West Lafayette · Hobart · Crown Point · Franklin · La Porte · Seymour · Logansport · New Castle · Connersville · Vincennes · Bedford · Jasper · Washington · Princeton · Westfield Largest towns Fishers · Merrillville · Schererville · Clarksville · Plainfield · Highland · Munster Counties Adams · Allen · Bartholomew · Benton · Blackford · Boone · Brown · Carroll · Cass · Clark · Clay · Clinton · Crawford · Daviess · DeKalb · Dearborn · Decatur · Delaware · Dubois · Elkhart · Fayette · Floyd · Fountain · Franklin · Fulton · Gibson · Grant · Greene · Hamilton · Hancock · Harrison · Hendricks · Henry · Howard · Huntington · Jackson · Jasper · Jay · Jefferson · Jennings · Johnson · Knox · Kosciusko · Lagrange · Lake · LaPorte · Lawrence · Madison · Marion · Marshall · Martin · Miami · Monroe · Montgomery · Morgan · Newton · Noble · Ohio · Orange · Owen · Parke · Perry · Pike · Porter · Posey · Pulaski · Putnam · Randolph · Ripley · Rush · Saint Joseph · Scott · Shelby · Spencer · Starke · Steuben · Sullivan · Switzerland · Tippecanoe · Tipton · Union · Vanderburgh · Vermillion · Vigo · Wabash · Warren · Warrick · Washington · Wayne · Wells · White · Whitley

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Jefferson County, Indiana County seat: Madison City Madison Towns Brooksburg | Dupont | Hanover Townships Graham | Hanover | Lancaster | Madison | Milton | Monroe | Republican | Saluda | Shelby | Smyrna Unincorporated communities Barbersville | Belleview | Bryantsburg | Canaan | Chelsea | China | Deputy | Five Points | Hanover Beach | Kent | Lancaster | Manville | Middlefork | Midway | Neavill Grove | Paynesville | Ringwald | Saluda | Smyrna | Swanville | Volga | Wakefield | Wirt

v • d • e U.S. National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register · History of the National Register of Historic Places · Property types · Historic district · Contributing property List of entries National Park Service · National Historic Landmarks · National Battlefields · National Historic Sites · National Historical Parks · National Memorials · National Monuments