Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 census states the population is standing at 130,129. The county seat since 1836 has been Anderson, one of three incorporated cities within the county. Madison County is included in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

thumb|1903 map of Madison County, Indiana, showing landowners

In 1787, the fledgling United States defined the Northwest Territory, which included the area of present-day Indiana. In 1800, Congress separated Ohio from the Northwest Territory, designating the rest of the land as the Indiana Territory. By December 1816 the Indiana Territory was admitted to the Union as a state.

Starting in 1794, Native American titles to Indiana lands were extinguished by usurpation, purchase, or war and treaty. The United States acquired land from the Native Americans in the 1809 treaty of Fort Wayne, and by the treaty of St. Mary's in 1818 considerably more territory became property of the government. This included the future Madison County, which was authorized by the state legislature on January 4, 1823, designating areas covered by the Delaware New Purchase. No settler was allowed in the area until the government survey was completed in 1820, and in 1820 the first settlers entered the future county.

The new county was named for James Madison, co-author of The Federalist Papers and the fourth President of the United States (1809 to 1817). The then-small settlement of Pendleton was named as the county, but its non-central location soon fostered a desire for a more central location as the county seat. After considerable local competition, the town of Anderson was platted in 1827 on donated land with the stipulation that the seat be moved to that location. This move began in 1828 and was completed by 1836.

The new county was completely wooded in 1820, with stands of white oak, poplar, walnut, sycamore, oak, and fir trees. The settlers logged much of the area and cleared the remainder through burning; at present its terrain is completely devoted to agriculture or urban development, except for stands of brush in drainages.

The county's first courthouse was authorized in the county's 1828 session, but this authorization was revoked in 1829. In 1831 a second authorization was passed, and the completed building was placed in service the following year.

During the Indiana gas boom, natural gas deposits were discovered in the county in 1887, at Alexandria, and Anderson. The offer of free natural gas brought several factories to the county.

Geography

The county's terrain is nearly flat, with the exception of hilly areas along the White River and Fall Creek. The highest terrain (around ASL) is a ridgeline at the county's SE corner. The county is drained by the west branch of the White River, flowing west-southwestward through the county's lower central portion. Other drainages include Fall Creek, flowing west- and southwestward through the southern part of the county; Pipe Creek, which rises in Delaware County and flows southwestward through the county's NW corner; and Lick Creek, which rises in Henry County and flows westward through the county's SW portion.

  • Dundee
  • Edgewood Village
  • Emporia
  • Fishersburg
  • Florida
  • Gimco City
  • Hamilton
  • Hardscrabble
  • Huntsville
  • Idlewold
  • Leisure
  • Linwood
  • Moonville
  • North Anderson
  • Ovid (also known as New Columbus)
  • Perkinsville
  • Prosperity
  • Rigdon
  • South Elwood

Townships

  • Adams
  • Anderson
  • Boone
  • Duck Creek
  • Fall Creek
  • Green
  • Jackson
  • Lafayette
  • Monroe
  • Pipe Creek
  • Richland
  • Stony Creek
  • Union
  • Van Buren

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 69
  • 20px U.S. Route 36
  • 20px State Road 9
  • 20px State Road 13
  • 20px State Road 28
  • 20px State Road 32
  • 20px State Road 37
  • 20px State Road 38
  • 20px State Road 67
  • 20px State Road 109
  • 20px State Road 128
  • 20px State Road 232
  • 20px State Road 236

Railroads

  • Central Indiana and Western Railroad
  • CSX Transportation
  • Indian Creek Railroad
  • Norfolk Southern Railway

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in Anderson have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1985 and a record high of was recorded in July 1954. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July.

Board of Commissioners: The executive body of the county; commissioners are elected county-wide to staggered four-year terms. One commissioner serves as president. The commissioners execute acts legislated by the council, collect revenue, and manage the county government. and Indiana House of Representatives districts 35, 36 and 37.

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Demographics