Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Madrid’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Madrid is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #35 of 140 in Iowa. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Madrid’s overall grade.
Iowa towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Iowa town has 9.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Madrid’s 3.6 sits near the middle of its state (40% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1846.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Madrid’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Madrid was a small coal mining community during the winter and a farming community during the summer. Mining became a larger part of its economy as time went on. Initially, coal was used locally for winter heating, hence the reason for it being considered a part-time job by most residents. The Carpenter Coal Company opened a mine between Madrid and Woodward in 1901, and the Reese Brothers Coal Company opened two mine shafts near Madrid. The Carpenter Brothers named their coal camp Scandia, and changed their corporate name to match. By 1914, The Scandia Coal Company of Madrid produced over 100,000 tons of coal per year, ranking among the top 24 coal producers in the state. In 1912, Locals 709 and 2460 of the United Mine Workers union, both based in Madrid, had an aggregate membership of 397, representing about 1/3 of the total population in 1910.
Emanuel Lawbaugh is one of the most highly respected and esteemed citizens of Madrid. He has been an active factor in the growth of the city, having platted and laid out an addition to the town of Madrid known as Lawbaugh's Addition. He still owns much valuable realty in Madrid and also has interests in Des Moines. Mr. Lawbaugh, moreover, has been mayor of Madrid for six terms — terms which have been replete with growth and accomplishment. He has recently been reelected to the office. Mr. Lawbaugh was born at Mount Eaton, Wayne county, Ohio, June 14, 1837. His parents w^ere John and Mar-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
a son of Hiram and Susan ( Payne) Lucas. The father was born in Estill county, Kentucky, April 9, 1815, and in 1834 made his way over land to Indiana, whence he came with the family to Boone county, arriving here October 8, 1853, where the town of Madrid now stands. At this early period there were but two houses in Madrid, surrounded by unbroken prairie, and but one set of farm buildings could be found between Madrid and Belle Point. This farm was located along the Des Moines road. The town of Boonesboro had been laid out but two years previously and settlements were sparse and far between. The father won an
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Madrid, census by census
Grew from 200 people in 1880 to 2,802 in 2020, more than tenfold.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Madrid’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Madrid’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, Sweede Point, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Sweede Point
1856–1882
Madrid
1882–today
18501940today
1cemetery inside Madrid
Cassel
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Madrid’s history
What year was Madrid founded?
In 1846, according to Wikidata. Madrid’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1880 counted 200 people here.
How does Madrid rank for history?
Madrid is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #35 of 140 in Iowa. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Madrid?
One place: the Carl and Ulrika Dalander Cassel House (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in Madrid?
41% of Madrid’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1955.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (15), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2017
2016
2016
2016
2014
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2004
