Home»Madison IN: Preserved Ohio River City

Stagnation saved downtown in this city of 12,000.

Madison was founded in 1809, before Indiana became a state. When the National (Cumberland) Road reached Wheeling in 1818, settlers could raft down the Ohio and resupply here before heading inland.

Madison had slaughterhouses and glue factories. It also turned out beer, cigars, cloth and buttons shipped on steamboats to Ohio and Mississippi River cities.

But transportation and consumption patterns changed. A long slumber followed, and the lack of "progress" preserved downtown. 133 blocks are now on the National Register.

Visiting Madison IN is like going back a century in time. A steamboat even calls once a year...as you will see.

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