History Madison, Indiana

1 history

1.1 national register of historic places
1.2 jefferson county courthouse fire
1.3 super outbreak of tornadoes

history

historic buildings line north side of main street in madison.

madison laid out , platted in 1810, , first lots sold in 1811 john paul. had busy years due heavy river traffic , position entry point indiana territory along historic old michigan road. madison s location across ohio river kentucky, slave state, made important location in underground railroad, worked free fugitive slaves. george debaptiste s barbershop in town became nerve center of local group.

indiana s first railroad, madison & indianapolis railroad, built there 1836 1847. chartered in 1832 indiana state legislature madison indianapolis & lafayette railroad, , construction begun september 16, 1836, railroad transferred private ownership on january 31, 1843, madison & indianapolis railroad. successful more decade, railroad went decline , sold @ foreclosure in 1862, renamed indianapolis & madison railroad, , after series of corporate transfers, became part of massive pennsylvania railroad system in 1921. in march 1924, madison area chamber of commerce founded aid area business growth , development.

madison s days leading indiana city numbered, however, when river traffic declined , new railroads built between louisville, indianapolis, , cincinnati tapped madison s trade network. result, madison s growth did not continue @ same pace had experienced before civil war. during late nineteenth century, many new buildings still being built, but, in many cases, older structures modernized adding cast iron store fronts , ornamental sheet metal cornices. earlier buildings survived without major alterations, , madison s national landmark historic district today contains examples of major architectural styles of nineteenth , twentieth centuries, federal art moderne.

since 1970, population of madison has declined 13,081 11,967 according 2010 census data.

on january 11, 1992, shanda sharer murdered in city 4 teenage girls.

national register of historic places

downtown madison granted national historic landmark district status in 2006. on august 25, 2006, months after designation, blaze severely damaged 2 historic downtown buildings, madison elks lodge , former city hall building occupied insurance company.

the crawford-whitehead-ross house, jefferson county jail, lanier mansion, madison historic district, , charles l. shrewsbury house listed on national register of historic places.

jefferson county courthouse fire

the jefferson county courthouse dome engulfed in flames.

on may 20, 2009, newly painted dome of jefferson county courthouse caught fire. blaze started around 6:15 pm. smoke billowed hundreds of feet in air , flames rose out of clock tower. fire continued burn hours. fire officials reported fire tentatively under control before 9:45 pm. no major injuries reported. dome of courthouse being painted in celebration of madison s bicentennial. on may 28, 2009, ruined dome removed top of courthouse in 2 pieces. authorities stated cause of fire contractor using open-flame propane torch solder 2 pieces of copper in 1 of built-in gutters on north side of roof.

super outbreak of tornadoes

the 1974 super outbreak second-largest tornado outbreak on record single 24-hour period. april 3 april 4, 1974, there 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 states, including illinois, indiana, michigan, ohio, kentucky, tennessee, alabama, mississippi, georgia, north carolina, virginia, west virginia, , new york; , canadian province of ontario. extensively damaged approximately 900 square miles (2,300 km) along total combined path length of 2,600 miles (4,200 km). 1974 super outbreak remains outstanding severe convective weather episode of record in continental united states. outbreak far surpassed previous , succeeding events in severity, longevity , extent.

shortly after f-5 tornado struck depauw, northwest of louisville, hanover/madison f4 twister formed near henryville , traveled through jefferson county, leveling many structures in small towns of hanover , madison. eleven killed in storm while additional 300 injured. according whas-tv in louisville, 90% of hanover destroyed or severely damaged, including hanover college campus. despite fact no 1 killed or injured @ college, 1 of college s 33 buildings damaged, including 2 destroyed , 6 sustained major structural damage. hundreds of trees downed, blocking every campus road. utilities knocked out , communication off campus impossible. damage campus alone estimated @ $10 million. in madison, 7 fatalities took place, 300 homes destroyed; tornado brushed community of china, causing additional fatalities.

the same storm later strike cincinnati area, producing multiple tornadoes including f5.