The Temperance Movement Battled Madison's Breweries

The Madison Heritage Series

Owning a State Street beer establishment wasn’t easy in the early 1900s. As the temperance movement gathered momentum throughout the country, increasing numbers of Americans wanted alcohol consumption outlawed.

Founded in 1863, Hausmann’s Capital Brewery flourished on the ...

Madison Hotel

(1837-1863)

The Madison Hotel was built and owned by Col. Augustus A. Bird, one of the builders of the first Capitol in Madison. From this hotel, he waged a successful fight to keep Madison the Capital City.

Many of Madison's most prominent ...

Here was Madison’s first African-American neighborhood

The Madison Heritage Series

John Hill first set eyes on Madison while visiting a relative who was attending the University of Wisconsin. He moved his family here from Atlanta in 1910 to join a modest community of about 140 African Americans.

In ...

Orange County / Madison County

(North Facing Side): Orange County

Formed from Spotsylvania County in 1734, Orange County, a pastoral Piedmont county, was probably named in honor of William IV, the Dutch prince of Orange, who married Anne, the Princess Royal, daughter of George II of ...

Madison County / Culpeper County

(North Facing Side): Madison County

Area 324 Square Miles

Formed in 1792 from Culpeper, and named for James Madison, "Father of the American Constitution" and President of the United States. Governor Spotswood's exploring expedition passed here, 1716.

(South Facing Side): Culpeper County

Area 384 ...

Montpelier and Madison's Tomb

Five miles southwest is Montpelier, the home of James Madison, "Father of the American Constitution" and fourth president of the United States, 1809-1817. Near the house is the tomb of Madison, who died at Montpelier on June 28, 1836.

Marker is ...

James Madison

1751 ---- 1836

4th President

of the

United States

Dedicated 2003

President Madison

Our namesake.

Madison, CT. & N.J.

[ Back of Monument: ]

From ‘Bottle Hill’ to ‘Madison’ in

1834. This monument is hereby

presented through the generosity

of the Mayor and Council, the

citizens of Madison and friends of

the community on ...

Outdoor markets are a Madison tradition

The Madison Heritage Series

Located in one of the richest agricultural counties in the country, Madison has always been a market town. But the farming community was out of luck in 1872 when state officials banned the hitching of horses on ...

Madison's Riverfront / Underground Railroad

[Side A:]

Madison’s Riverfront

Once a bustling commercial and industrial area,

Madison’s riverfront has greatly changed since the

City’s founding in 1809. On these banks stood

factories, mills, hotels and taverns, typical of a

busy river port on the frontier. Annual flooding

has forced the move to ...

John A. Johnson made Madison's Factory District Flourish

The Madison Heritage Series

John A. Johnson made a bold move when he co-founded an agricultural implement company in Madison in 1880. Many civic leaders opposed manufacturing, fearing the workers would lower the city's moral and intellectual tone.

But Johnson proved ...