History of Madison, Indiana, USA

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.

A melancholy accident occurred at Madison, Indiana, on the 28th of March, which is thus described in a letter to the editor of the Cincinnati Chronicle:

On Thursday afternoon at 4 P.M., when the passenger cars arrived at Madison, at the head of the inclined plane, they had a wood car, heavily loaded with wood, attached. It is usual in descending the plane, to detach the wood and freight cars, and bring them just to the head of the plain, wait till the passengers have gone down.

In this instance the way was slippery, and when the wood car was brought to the head of the plane, and the passenger car descending, the former, accidentally got under headway, and running with great velocity, struck the passenger car and dashed it into pieces - leaving four persons killed, and five very badly wounded.

The following were the names of the persons killed and wounded, viz:
MR. BUNDRANT, of Madison, killed.
ENOCHS, of Bloomington College do.
BRUNSON, of Wheeling (Va.) do.
DELNER, of...

Madison, a flourishing city and river port of Indiana, and seat of justice of Jefferson county, on the Ohio river, 90 miles below Cincinnati. 44 miles above Louisville, and 86 miles S. 8. E. from Indianapolis. It is advantageously situated for trade, and is equal, if not superior, to any town of the state in population and importance. Steamboats make regular passages between this port and other towns of the Mississippi valley. The navigation is usually open all winter in ordinary seasons. Several steamboats are owned here. Madison is the 8. terminus of the Madison and Indianapolis railroad, which was completed in 1848, and is doing a large business in conveying freight and passengers. The city is beautifully situated in a valley nearly 3 miles in length, which is en closed on the N. by steep and rugged hills about 400 feet high. The site is elevated 80 or 40 feet above the highest floods. Madison is well built, containing a larger proportion of brick houses than is usual in the towns...

A farmer named John BONNETT met with a severe accident on the Canaan Road, about four o'clock Saturday afternoon. Mr. BONNETT was sitting in the rear of a wagon loaded with furniture, bedding, tinware and a stove.

When a short distance beyond Johnson & Clements' starch factory, the mules attached to the wagon frighted at the rattling and noise made by the stove and tinware going over a rough part of the road and started off rapidly. The jerk threw Mr. BONNETT out of the wagon, and he alighted on his head, and being a large man the fall was very severe.

For a time the blood rushed from his ears and mouth, and up to last night he was still unconscious. He is not expected to live through the day.

Mr. BONNETT died this morning at 11 o'clock.

Madison, a city of Indiana, the capital of Jefferson co., is pleasantly situated on the Ohio River, 88 miles be low Cincinnati, and 45 miles above Louisville. By railroad it is 86 miles S.S.E. of Indianapolis, and 45 miles S.E. of Columbus, Ind. Its site is a valley which is elevated above the highest floods, and is enclosed on the N. by steep hills nearly 400 feet high. The houses and business blocks are chiefly built of brick and stone, and the city is lighted by gas and electricity, Madison contains a handsome court house, about 15 churches, a public library, a high school, 2 national banks (with a capital of $600,000), a private bank, and printing-offices which issue 3 daily, 2 semi-weekly, and 3 weekly newspapers. This city contains several flouring mills and breweries, 1 cotton-mill, 2 woollen-mills, several large cooperage establishments, 2 starch-factories, 2 artificial-ice plants, and manufactories of hubs and spokes, sash and doors, paper, saddle-trees, furniture, engines,...

A day or so ago James THACKER, a well-known young man of the West End, purchased for himself a small shanty-boat, anchored on this side of the river near the foot of Plum Street.

This morning early some one living near by entered the boat and was horrified to find Mr. THACKER lying dead inside.

Coroner Lewis was immediately summoned and an examination was held, resulting in the conclusion that the deceased had come to his death by accidental drowning.

The unfortunate man had been subject to spasms, and he had evidently gone into the boat to clean it out, as his trousers were rolled up. There was water six inches deep on the floor, and into this he had fallen face downward while suffering from a periodical attack.

The deceased was about thirty years of age, and was a son of Mr. Issac Thacker, a former prominent employe of the ship yard.

The funeral occurred this afternoon at 4 o'clock.

Madison, a city of Indiana, the capital of Jefferson co., is pleasantly situated on the Ohio River and on the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis R., 88 miles below Cincinnati. Its site is a valley which is elevated above the highest floods and is enclosed on the N. by steep hills nearly 400 feet high. Madison has important industries, among which is the construction of steamboats, engines, boilers, etc. It has several flouring-mills and breweries, cotton and woollen-mills, cooperage establishments, starch-factories, chemical-works, and manufactories of hubs and spokes, sash and doors, paper, saddle-trees, furniture, tacks, etc. Pop. in 1900, 7835.

Hardly a day went by that January that didn’t bring rain, and lots of it. On the thirteenth of January the river stood at 36.7 feet. Two days later it had risen to 45.7 feet...

Crooked Creek was also flooding and with the swollen Ohio to the south and Crooked Creek to the north Madison became a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides...

The river crested at Madison on January twenty seventh. The flood stage here was 72.3 feet and the river was over flood stage for 18 days. As the waters receded and the town assessed the damage it was clear that Madison would be forever changed. The businesses along the river were, for the most part, gone or damaged beyond repair. Trow’s Flour Mill, the catsup factory, the old warehouses and many more buildings were never to open their doors again. There would be less employment due to the flood. And the very face of the riverfront would change. Much of Madison’s history was erased from the levee that January in 1937.