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–Not graded
History · Madison

Madison’s post office opened in 1830, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1905 on.

1830first post office
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Madison’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Madison began

When was Madison founded?

1830

The Madison post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1876.

2020 census: 364196 years
Founding year: the first Madison post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1876.

What stands out about Madison’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Madison’s homes were built before 1950.Deep rootsA post office since 1830: 196 years of Madison.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Madison’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBuildings designed by Gilbert and other…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Madison, in brief

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

Madison is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Madison had a population of 364. The borough was named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States.

Its first post office opened in 1830. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 397 to 364 (-8%).

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

By decade

Madison, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Buildings designed by Gilbert and others.] [Elevations; sketch renderings1905Buildings designed by Gilbert and others.] [Elevation…
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Buildings designed by Gilbert and others.] [Elevations; sketch renderings
Retake this viewBuildings designed by Gilbert and others.] [Elevations; sketch renderings, 1905

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Madison’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Madison

Nobody well known was born in Madison itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
S
Sonny ClarkAmerican jazz pianist · b. 1931
Slide HamptonAmerican trombonist · b. 1932
Homer S. FergusonAmerican politician · b. 1889
A
Ambrose De PaoliAmerican Roman Catholic archbishop · b. 1934
George BlandaAmerican football player · b. 1927
B
Ben McCauleyAmerican basketball player · b. 1986
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Sewickley TownshipIts storyB−Hempfield Township2 historic placesB−

Questions about Madison’s history

What year was Madison founded?

The Madison post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1876.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From the Library of Congress (1), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.