Editing Madison, Indiana (section)

== History ==
[[File:Main Street, Madison, IN (48517098006).jpg|thumb|left|Historic buildings line Main Street in Madison|alt=]]Madison was laid out and [[plat]]ted in 1810, and the first lots were sold in 1811 by [[John Paul (pioneer)|John Paul]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/biographicalhist00john |title=Biographical and Historical Souvenir for the Counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana |publisher=Chicago Printing Company |year=1889 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/biographicalhist00john/page/183 183]}}</ref> It had busy early years due to heavy river traffic and its position as an entry point into the [[Indiana Territory]] along the historic Old [[Michigan Road]]. Madison's location across the Ohio River from Kentucky, a [[slave state]], made it an important location on the [[Underground Railroad]], which worked to free fugitive slaves. [[George DeBaptiste]]'s barbershop in town became a nerve center of the local group.<ref>Hudson, J. Blaine. ''Fugitive Slaves and the Underground Railroad in the Kentucky Borderland''. McFarland, 2002. p117-118</ref> By 1850, Madison was the third-largest city in Indiana (after New Albany and Indianapolis), and among the 100 largest cities in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |last=U.S. Bureau of the Census |title=Population of 100 Largest Urban Places 1850 |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/1998/demo/pop-twps0027/tab08.txt |url-status=}}</ref>

Indiana's first railroad, the [[Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad|Madison & Indianapolis Railroad]], was built there from 1836 to 1847. Chartered in 1832 by the Indiana State Legislature as the [[Madison Railroad|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. In March 1924, the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce was founded to aid area business growth and development. [[Conrail]] much later bought Pennsylvania Railroad, but the deal left out a {{Convert|26|mi||abbr=|adj=on}} stretch of track from [[North Vernon]] to Madison. Madison Port Authority purchased this, forming [[Madison Railroad]] in 1975.

Madison's days as a leading Indiana city were numbered, however, when river traffic declined and new railroads built between [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], [[Indianapolis]], and [[Cincinnati]] tapped into Madison's trade network. As a result, Madison's growth did not continue at the same pace it had experienced before the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. During the late nineteenth century, many new buildings were still being built, but in many cases older structures were modernized by adding cast-iron storefronts and ornamental sheet metal cornices. Some earlier buildings survived without major alterations, and the Madison National Landmark Historic District today contains examples of all the major architectural styles of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, from Federal to Art Moderne.

In 1952 the town of [[North Madison, Indiana|North Madison]] was annexed, becoming a neighborhood of the city, which aided in providing city services to new businesses started in the area.<ref name=Cole2002>[https://www.madisoncourier.com/archives/north-madison-was-once-a-sleepy-town/article_4257375b-b394-53f1-aac0-cfc4196bdc15.html North Madison was once a Sleepy Town]. By Phil Cole. Madison Courier, 25 July 2002. Accessed 3 April 2024.</ref> A tornado in 1974 destroyed a number of buildings in the neighborhood.<ref name=Cole2002 />

On January 11, 1992, [[Murder of Shanda Sharer|Shanda Sharer]] was murdered in the city by four teenage girls.

===National Register of Historic Places===
Downtown Madison was granted [[National Historic Landmark|National Historic Landmark District]] status in early 2006. On August 25, 2006, just months after the designation, a blaze severely damaged two historic downtown buildings, the Madison [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks Lodge]] and a former city hall building that was occupied by an insurance company.<ref>{{cite news |date=26 August 2006 |title=Fire Damages Historic Area in Indiana |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/us/26madison.html |access-date=June 9, 2008}}</ref>

The [[Crawford-Whitehead-Ross House]], [[Jefferson County Jail (Indiana)|Jefferson County Jail]], [[Lanier Mansion]], [[Madison Historic District (Madison, Indiana)|Madison Historic District]], and [[Charles L. Shrewsbury House]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris3">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

===Jefferson County Courthouse fire===
[[File:Courthouse6565.jpg|thumb|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&nbsp;pm. Smoke billowed hundreds of feet into 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&nbsp;pm. No major injuries were reported. The dome of the courthouse was being painted in celebration of Madison's [[wiktionary:bicentennial|bicentennial]]. On May 28, 2009, the ruined dome was removed from the top of the courthouse in two pieces. Authorities stated that the cause of the fire was a contractor using an open-flame propane torch to solder two pieces of copper together in one of the built-in gutters on the north side of the roof.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Staff Writer |title=Fire severely damages historic Indiana courthouse |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2009/05/21/fire-severely-damages-historic-indiana/24158511007/ |access-date=2024-01-01 |website=The Columbus Dispatch |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-06-08 |title=Cause of Jefferson Co. Courthouse fire identified-WEB ONLY |url=https://www.ibj.com/articles/5622-cause-of-jefferson-co-courthouse-fire-identified-web-only |access-date=2024-01-01 |website=Indianapolis Business Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Super Outbreak of tornadoes===
The [[1974 Super Outbreak]] is the second-largest tornado outbreak on record for a single 24-hour period. From April 3 to April 4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 states, including [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]], [[Michigan]], [[Ohio]], [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[Alabama]], [[Mississippi]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[North Carolina]], [[Virginia]], [[West Virginia]], and [[New York (state)|New York]]; and the Canadian province of [[Ontario]]. It extensively damaged approximately {{convert|900|sqmi}} along a total combined path length of {{convert|2600|mi|km}}.<ref name="so_report3">{{cite web |author=Risk Assessment Models |title=Analysis and reconstruction of the 1974 Tornado Super Outbreak |url=http://www.rms.com/Publications/1974SuperTornadoReport.pdf |access-date=2007-03-03}}</ref> The 1974 Super Outbreak remains the most outstanding severe convective weather episode of record in the continental United States. The outbreak far surpassed previous and succeeding events in severity, longevity and extent.

Shortly after an F-5 tornado struck [[Depauw, Indiana|Depauw]], northwest of Louisville, the Hanover/Madison F4 twister formed near [[Henryville, Indiana|Henryville]] and traveled through Jefferson County, leveling many structures in the town of [[Hanover, Indiana|Hanover]] and in Madison. Eleven were killed in this storm, while an additional 300 were injured. According to [[WHAS-TV]] in Louisville, 90% of Hanover was destroyed or severely damaged, including the [[Hanover College]] campus. Despite the fact that no one was killed or seriously injured at the college, all but one of the college's 33 buildings were damaged, including two that were completely destroyed and six that sustained major structural damage. Hundreds of trees were downed, completely blocking every campus road. All utilities were knocked out and communication with those off campus was nearly impossible. Damage to the campus alone was estimated at $10&nbsp;million. In Madison, seven fatalities took place, and about 300 homes were destroyed; the tornado also brushed the community of [[China, Indiana|China]], causing additional fatalities.

The same storm would later strike the [[Cincinnati]] area, producing multiple tornadoes including another F5.