Madison’s post office opened in 1889, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns · #37 of 61 in West Virginia. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Boone County Courthouse and the Madison National Bank. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1911 on, and the census since 1910.
The Madison post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Madison Court House (1871), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 295 in 19102020 census: 2,913137 years
How historic is Madison?
B−
More historic than 48% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Madison post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Madison’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Madison is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #37 of 61 in West Virginia. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Madison’s overall grade.
West Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical West Virginia town has 29.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Madison’s 7.2 sits near the middle of its state (49% of West Virginia towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points). 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’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Madison was first established as Boone Court House. The town was renamed circa 1865, presumably for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States. Other theories hold that it was named for lawyer James Madison Laidley or for William Madison Peyton, a pioneer coal operator, who was a leader in the movement which resulted in the formation of Boone County and for whom Peytona on Big Coal River was also named. Madison was incorporated in 1906.
The Madison post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Madison rank for history?
Madison is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #37 of 61 in West Virginia. 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?
Two places: the Boone County Courthouse (listed 1981) and the Madison National Bank (2007).
How old are the homes in Madison?
13% of Madison’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1963.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.
1974
1974
1974
