Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 66 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1964 on, and the census since 1880.
Madison first appears in the census in 1880.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Madison’s history is told.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
From Wikipedia’s history of Madison.
The Hebron Lutheran Church, The Homeplace, James City Historic District, Madison County Courthouse, Madison County Courthouse Historic District, and Woodbourne are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Madison, cut from the printed page as they were published.
the parish church and to pay taxes for its support. This being true, in order for us to understand the government of colonial days, it is essential for us to know something concerning these early parishes.© Madison, or at least some of its territory, was in four successive parishes. On May 1, 1721, Spotsylvania was constituted one parish, known as “St. George’s Parish.” This parish conformed exactly to the limits of Spotsylvania county; Madison, therefore, was then a part of St. George’s Parish until it was divided in 1731.®
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
68 A History or Mapison County, VirGinia regiment and returned home. How true this is cannot be proven, for as yet no records have been found to confirm the report. ; As the people of Madison were very loyal during the Revolution, naturally we should expect them to be the same in the second war against England. During this war James Madison, who was well known and much admired in Madison county, was president; consequently, we would expect the people of Madison county to take more
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Born herePeter Early is born here
Born hereRobert Mallory is born here
Born hereDouglas Evans is born here
In the archiveHABS VA-1385 (sheet 1 of 2) - Arrington Farm House, Route 29, north of Intersection of Ro…
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereKim M. Cobb is born hereOne decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2006South elevation - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and …
2006Site Plan (historic district) - Tavern-Store-Kitchen,…
2006Section (kitchen) - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 an…
2006Second floor plan - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 an…
2006North elevation - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and …
2006Longitudinal section - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29…
2006Interior elevations - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 …
2006Interior elevations - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 …
2006First floor plan - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and…
2006First floor plan - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and…
2006East and west elevations - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Rout…
2006East and west elevations - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Rout…
2006Details - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and Route 631
2006Details - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and Route 631
2006Details - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and Route 631
2006Details - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and Route 631
2006Details - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and Route 631
2006Details - Tavern-Store-Kitchen, Route 29 and Route 631
2006Chronological evolution of overall site - Tavern-Stor…
2006Chronological evolution of overall site - Tavern-Stor…Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Madison. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Madison.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
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 · +15Between 205 and 461 people in every census since 1880.
11 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Madison’s Wikipedia page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
The Madison post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Three places: the Madison County Courthouse (listed 1969), the Madison County Courthouse Historic District (1984) and the Woodbourne (1999).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikimedia Commons (24), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
1933
1933
1933
