Madison County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,837. Its county seat is Madison.
History
Madison County was established in December 1792, created from Culpeper County. The county is named for the Madison family that owned land along the Rapidan River. President James Madison is a descendant of that family.
One of Madison County's most well-known residents was John Hoffman (1692-1772). He lived along the Robinson River, where he owned 3,525 acres. He established the Hebron Lutheran Church on his property, which is still in use today. He had five children with his first wife, Anna Haeger; and 12 children with his second wife, Maria Sabina Folg. Two of his daughters, Margaret Hoffman and Elizabeth Hoffman, married two brothers, John Back and Henry Back, who were the sons of his neighbor, John Henry Back. After Margaret and Elizabeth became widows, they moved to nearby Rockingham County, where they lived out the rest of their lives along Wolf Run, and were buried there. John and Henry Back's other brother, Joseph Back, married Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard; they migrated to southeastern Kentucky in 1791 and founded the Bach (Back) family there.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.
A significant portion of western Madison County is within Shenandoah National Park, including Hawksbill Mountain, the highest point in both the park and in Madison County, Old Rag Mountain, one of the park's most popular tourist destinations, and Rapidan Camp, the presidential retreat built by Herbert Hoover. Hoover's Camp was built between 1929 and 1932. The camp consisted of 13 buildings with the main one being "The Brown House". In 2017, only three of these houses are still standing (The Brown House, The Prime Minister Cabin, and The Creel). The camp was built where two streams merge to form the Rapidan River because fishing was Hoover's favorite pastime. Hoover even made sure that the camp was built at an elevation where mosquitos would not be a nuisance while fishing. The camp was donated to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1932 so other presidents could use it and in December 1935 it officially became a part of Shenandoah National Park.
Adjacent counties
- Page County – northwest
- Rappahannock County – north
- Culpeper County – east
- Orange County – southeast
- Greene County – southwest
National protected area
- Shenandoah National Park (part)