Madison County, Georgia

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Madison County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,120.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Danielsville.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was created on December 5, 1811. The county's largest city is Comer with a population of 1,200. Madison County was included in the Athens–Clarke County metropolitan area, which is included in the Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs CSA.

History

Madison County was organized by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia on December 11, 1811. It was named for James Madison,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. It was the 38th county formed in Georgia, and began to function as a county in 1812. Madison County was formed from the counties of Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Jackson, Oglethorpe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early agriculture in Madison County was devoted to food crops and livestock (cattle, hogs, and sheep), which were sufficient to feed the population. Just after the Civil War ended, the demand for a cash crop led to major reliance on cotton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The soils of Madison County were heavily damaged by this cotton monoculture. From the 1930s on, agriculture became more diverse. Today, agribusiness dominates the local economy, with poultry production particularly important.

Madison and Oglethorpe counties share Watson Mill Bridge State Park, the site of the longest covered bridge in Georgia. The bridge, which is over 100 years old, spans 229 feet of the South Fork of the Broad River. There are also facilities for camping, hiking trails, picnicking, and fishing in the park.

The Madison County Courthouse, one of the most ornate in Georgia, was built in 1901 for the sum of $18,314. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. New Hope Presbyterian Church, established in 1788, is the third oldest church in Georgia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn, a decorated veteran of World War II and a United States Army Reserve officer, was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan on July 11, 1964, nine days after passage of the Civil Rights Act, on a Broad River bridge on the Georgia State Route 172 in Madison County.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Postal history

In 1879, there were only four post offices in Madison County: Danielsville, Fort Lamar, Madison Springs and Paoli.<ref>"Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1879, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. Houghton, Osgood and Company, 1880. p. 331.</ref> In 1889, Madison county had post offices at Carlton, Danielsville, Dowdy, Fort Lamar, Gholston (Gholston's Stand), Hix, Ila, Madison Springs, Medicus, Paoli and Planter.<ref>"Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1889, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. The Brodix Publishing Company, 1890. p. 478.</ref>

By 1900, additional post offices had been opened in Alvin, Berea, Boggs, Carruth, Comer, Fiveforks (now Comer), Jeptha, Larkin, Monitor, Neese, Pocataligo and Sorrells, while the offices in Gholston and Medicus had been closed.<ref>"Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1900, With Stations and Sub-stations, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. George F. Lasher, Printer, 1901. p. 615.</ref> By 1910, most of these post offices had closed; the only remaining ones were in Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Danielsville and Hull.<ref>"Post Offices and Branch Post Offices, Arranged by States and Counties, June 1, 1910." United States Official Postal Guide. J. B. Lyon Printers, 1910. p. 580.</ref>

By 1920, the office in Ila had reopened.<ref>"County List: Post Offices and Branch Post Offices, June 1, 1920." United States Official Postal Guide. The Post Office Department, 1920. p. 680.</ref> The county would retain these six post offices Template:As of<ref>Madison County, Georgia, at PostOfficeFinder.org. Retrieved July 1, 2023.</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

The vast majority of Madison County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, with just a very small portion of the county's western edge located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Demographics

Template:US Census population

Madison County racial composition as of 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White	23,549	78.18%
Black or African American	2,753	9.14%
Native American	44	0.15%
Asian	521	1.73%
Pacific Islander	4	0.01%
Other/Mixed	1,293	4.29%
Hispanic or Latino	1,956	6.49%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,120 people, 10,744 households, and 8,153 families residing in the county.

Government

The citizens of Madison County are represented by an elected six member board of commissioners. Each commissioner represents one of five districts plus a chairman of the board elected at large for the whole county.

Education

Madison County public education is served by the Madison County School District. The Madison County Board of Education oversees and operates the public charter school system in the School District. Madison County Board of Education operates 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school and 1 career academy.

The Madison County Board of Education is overseen by 5 elected board members, from 5 districts in the county. The Board appoints a School Superintendent who works at the pleasure of the Board as a whole.

The district has 290 full-time teachers and over 4,621 students.

Public Schools

Template:Div col

Colbert Elementary School
Comer Elementary School
Danielsville Elementary School
Hull-Sanford Elementary School
Ila Elementary School
Madison County Middle School (MCMS), Home of the Mustangs
Madison County High School (MCHS), Home of the Red Raiders
Broad River College and Career Academy Template:Div col end

Private schools

Union Christian Academy, Hull
The Busy Box Pre-School, Hull
The Learning Train Pre-School, Colbert
Building Blocks Pre-School, Hull

Notable people

Allen Daniel Jr. – major general, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, state senator, namesake of Danielsville
Josh Fields – Major League baseball player
Crawford W. Long – the man who first used ether in surgery
Ralph Hudgens – Georgia insurance and safety fire commissioner
Jake Westbrook – former Major League baseball player

Historic sites

Watson Mill Bridge – the longest original-site covered bridge in Georgia
Birthplace of Crawford W. Long
Murder site of Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn
William Bartram Trail

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Geographic Location Template:Madison County, Georgia Template:Georgia (U.S. state) Template:Authority control Template:Coord