Crime Scene & Biohazard Cleanup Near Madison Estates Madison, IN

Madison is the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, sitting on the north bank of the Ohio River, and it is the largest city along the river between Louisville and Cincinnati.

Madison was laid out and platted in 1810, and its first lots were sold in 1811 by John Paul, growing quickly thanks to river traffic and its position on the historic Old Michigan Road.

Because it sat directly across the Ohio River from slave-state Kentucky, Madison became an important stop on the Underground Railroad, and the barbershop of George DeBaptiste in town served as a nerve center for the local freedom network.

By 1850, Madison was the third-largest city in Indiana — behind only New Albany and Indianapolis — and ranked among the 100 largest cities in the United States.

Indiana's very first railroad, the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, was built out of Madison between 1836 and 1847.

In 2006, most of Madison's downtown — 133 blocks known as the Madison Historic Landmark District — was designated a National Historic Landmark, preserving buildings in styles from Federal to Art Moderne, including the Lanier Mansion and the Charles L. Shrewsbury House.

As of the 2020 census, Madison had a population of 12,357 living in 5,209 households.

Madison is bordered on the west by Clifty Falls State Park, which protects the canyon of Big Clifty Creek, its waterfalls, and bluffs rising about 400 feet above the Ohio River valley.

Madison is famous for powerboat racing: the Madison Regatta has run an Unlimited hydroplane race on the Ohio River every early July since 1954, drawing roughly 70,000 to 100,000 spectators over the July 4 weekend.

Madison owns Miss Madison, the world's only community-owned Unlimited hydroplane racer, which has competed in the top class since 1961.