Madison in Pictures

The City of Madison was originally settled by the John Cartwright family in 1818. Then in 1856 the town's name became Madison Station because the Memphis & Charleston Railroad built a local train station and made regular stops in the small rural community.The city was the site of one Civil War battle on March 16, 1864, when Confederate Colonel Stuart and Colonel Paterson’s 5th Alabama Cavalry drove the 13th Illinois Infantry from the city while taking 66 prisoners. The city remained very small until the 1950's and 1960's when NASA and other commercial Aerospace industries associated with the early Space Program began to flourish and transform Madison into a rapidly growing municipality.