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A−History
History · Madison Township

Madison Township’s post office opened in 1821, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #252 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

38 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1870.

1821first post office
38on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Madison Township began

When was Madison Township founded?

1821

The Madison Township post office opened in 1821, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, North Madison (1863) and Wheeler (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 757 in 18702020 census: 18,492205 years

How historic is Madison Township?

A−

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Madison Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Madison Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Madison Township is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #252 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Madison Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1821, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194012.3% of homes (±2.7) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register38 listings, 60 historic buildings, 32.5 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 84%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 75%

Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Madison Township’s 32.5 sits above most of its state (85% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 60 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Madison Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register38 places on the National Register.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Madison Township, and 13 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Madison Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19055 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1994. Watch Madison Township change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

38 historic places in Madison Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
38
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
60
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Unionville Tavern
Unionville TavernConnecticut Land Company OfficeLadd's TavernUnionville District SchoolMadison Seminary And HomeMr. and Mrs. Karl A. Staley House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Federal Greek Revival1
Federal1
Greek Revival1
Romanesque Revival1
Unionville TavernBuilding
Connecticut Land Company OfficeFederal Greek Revival
Ladd's TavernFederal
Unionville District SchoolBuilding
Madison Seminary And HomeGreek Revival
Mr. and Mrs. Karl A. Staley HouseBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

North Madison
1863–1955
Wheeler
1889–1900
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Arcola Trailer ParkDriftwoodJames PlaceMadison BeachMadison DockMadison-on-the-LakeNorth MadisonRedbirdSands CommunitySouth MadisonUnionvilleWestern Reserve Mobile Home ParkWheeler
Gone or out of use
North Madison Post Officepost officeNortheastern Ohio General HospitalhospitalWheeler Post Officepost office
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Madison Township
Dock RoadGore ChurchMadison MemorialMiddle RidgeNorth MadisonNorth RidgeSouth Ridge

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Madison Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Madison Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Madison Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Madison Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Madison is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,435 at the 2020 census. Madison was incorporated as a village in 1867.

Its first post office opened in 1821. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 18,889 to 18,492 (-2%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Madison Township in 1902

Passages that mention Madison Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.

September 17, i860, a committee was appointed by the Board of Education of Madison Township consisting of Jacob Sarber, Wm. Perrin and Henry Long "for the purpose of visiting the school houses in sub-district Xo. 18 to ascertain whether they have school room enough, and to report at the April meeti…
History of Madison Township, including Groveport and Canal Winchester, Franklin County, Ohio1902Read the page →
Read the text

September 17, i860, a committee was appointed by the Board of Education of Madison Township consisting of Jacob Sarber, Wm. Perrin and Henry Long "for the purpose of visiting the school houses in sub-district Xo. 18 to ascertain whether they have school room enough, and to report at the April meeting." On April 15, 1861, this committee submitted a report which "was received and the committee discharged," and on

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
We will supplement the list of township officers with a list of Madison Township citizens who have Tield county, state and other honorary positions. In October of 1827 John Swisher succeeded James Kilbourne as county assessor, and served until 1835, The office of county assessor was abolished in 18…
History of Madison Township, including Groveport and Canal Winchester, Franklin County, Ohio1902Read the page →
Read the text

We will supplement the list of township officers with a list of Madison Township citizens who have Tield county, state and other honorary positions. In October of 1827 John Swisher succeeded James Kilbourne as county assessor, and served until 1835, The office of county assessor was abolished in 1841, when the office of Township Assesssor was created.

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.

Timeline

Madison Township, 1863 to 1955

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863Post officeThe North Madison post office opens
  3. 1889Post officeThe Wheeler post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900Post officeThe Wheeler post office closes
  6. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1955Post officeThe North Madison post office closes
By decade

Madison Township, decade by decade

Today11 recent
232 River St2012232 River St232 River St 22012232 River St 221-29 W Main St201221-29 W Main St21-29 W Main St 2201221-29 W Main St 2189-195 W Main St2012189-195 W Main St16 Eagle St201216 Eagle St143 River St2012143 River St120 N Lake St2012120 N Lake StMadison Township Hall2007Madison Township HallMadison Board of Education2007Madison Board of EducationOHMap-doton-Madison2004OHMap-doton-Madison
On the map

Madison Township on the map, 1905 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Madison Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Madison Township on the 1905 USGS mapMadison Township on the 1960 USGS mapMadison Township on the 1970 USGS mapMadison Township on the 1984 USGS mapMadison Township on the 1994 USGS map1905Perry sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Madison Township.

People over time

Madison Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,500188019001920194019601980200020203,435

Grew from 757 people in 1870 to 3,435 in 2020, 4 times over.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Madison Township’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Perry Township1 historic placeB+Thompson TownshipIts storyB+Geneva Township1 historic placeAHarpersfield Township2 historic placesA−

Questions about Madison Township’s history

What year was Madison Township founded?

The Madison Township post office opened in 1821, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Madison Township rank for history?

Madison Township is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #252 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Madison Township?

38 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Unionville Tavern (listed 1973, the first). 60 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Madison Township?

12% of Madison Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1976.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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 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.