Editing Madison, West Virginia (section)

==History==
Madison was first established as '''Boone Court House'''.  The town was renamed ''circa'' 1865, presumably for [[James Madison]], the fourth president of the United States. Other theories hold that it was named for lawyer James Madison Laidley or for [[William Madison Peyton]], a pioneer [[coal]] operator, who was a leader in the movement which resulted in the formation of Boone County and for whom [[Peytona, West Virginia|Peytona]] on [[Big Coal River]] was also named. Madison was [[incorporation (municipal government)|incorporated]] in 1906.<ref name="e-WV">{{cite web|url=http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1470|title=The West Virginia Encyclopedia: Madison|date=October 8, 2010|access-date=2011-07-23 |author= unknown|publisher=West Virginia Humanities Council}}</ref>

The first courthouse at Madison, a log structure, was burned by Union troops early in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. The second courthouse, made of local brick, served until 1913, and a frame building was used by county officials for the next several years. The present [[Boone County Courthouse (West Virginia)|Boone County Courthouse]], occupied in 1921, is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2009a}}</ref>

Madison is the "Gateway to the Coalfields," as it is located on a principal route through the southern coalfields.  It occupied a strategic place during the [[Battle of Blair Mountain|Mine Wars]]. Miners twice rallied at the town ballpark in August 1921, to consider whether to continue their march to neighboring Logan and Mingo counties. Thousands of armed marchers passed through the town and surrounding region on their way to and from the fighting at Blair Mountain, which is located up Spruce Fork from Madison.<ref name="e-WV"/>

In addition to the Boone County Courthouse, the [[Madison National Bank]] building is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris"/>

The WV Coal Festival has taken place in Madison each June since 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WV Coal Festival |url=https://www.wvcoalfestival.com/about-us |access-date=2025-03-21 |website=www.wvcoalfestival.com |language=en}}</ref>