Madison County, Georgia

Not to be confused with Madison, Georgia.

Madison County
County
Madison County Courthouse in Danielsville
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°08′N83°13′W / 34.13°N 83.21°W / 34.13; -83.21
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 5, 1811;212 years ago (1811-12-05)
Named for	James Madison
Seat	Danielsville
Largest city	Comer
Area
• Total	286 sq mi (740 km2)
• Land	282 sq mi (730 km2)
• Water	3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,120
• Estimate  (2023)	32,191
• Density	110/sq mi (41/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	9th
Website	www.madisoncountyga.us

Madison County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,120. ^[1] The county seat is Danielsville. ^[2] The county was created on December 5, 1811. The county's largest city is Comer with a population of 1,200. Madison County was included in the Athens–Clarke County metropolitan area, which is included in the Atlanta–Athens–Clarke County–Sandy Springs CSA.

History

Madison County was organized by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia on December 11, 1811. It was named for James Madison, ^[3] who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. It was the 38th county formed in Georgia, and began to function as a county in 1812. Madison County was formed from the counties of Clarke, Elbert, Franklin, Jackson, Oglethorpe. ^[4]

Early agriculture in Madison County was devoted to food crops and livestock (cattle, hogs, and sheep), which were sufficient to feed the population. Just after the Civil War ended, the demand for a cash crop led to major reliance on cotton. ^[5] The soils of Madison County were heavily damaged by this cotton monoculture. From the 1930s on, agriculture became more diverse. Today, agribusiness dominates the local economy, with poultry production particularly important.

Madison and Oglethorpe counties share Watson Mill Bridge State Park, the site of the longest covered bridge in Georgia. The bridge, which is over 100 years old, spans 229 feet of the South Fork of the Broad River. There are also facilities for camping, hiking trails, picnicking, and fishing in the park.

The Madison County Courthouse, one of the most ornate in Georgia, was built in 1901 for the sum of $18,314. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. New Hope Presbyterian Church, established in 1788, is the third oldest church in Georgia. ^[6]

Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn, a decorated veteran of World War II and a United States Army Reserve officer, was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan on July 11, 1964, nine days after passage of the Civil Rights Act, on a Broad River bridge on the Georgia State Route 172 in Madison County. ^{[7] [8]}

Postal history

In 1879, there were only four post offices in Madison County: Danielsville, Fort Lamar, Madison Springs and Paoli. ^[9] In 1889, Madison county had post offices at Carlton, Danielsville, Dowdy, Fort Lamar, Gholston (Gholston's Stand), Hix, Ila, Madison Springs, Medicus, Paoli and Planter. ^[10]

By 1900, additional post offices had been opened in Alvin, Berea, Boggs, Carruth, Comer, Fiveforks (now Comer), Jeptha, Larkin, Monitor, Neese, Pocataligo and Sorrells, while the offices in Gholston and Medicus had been closed. ^[11] By 1910, most of these post offices had closed; the only remaining ones were in Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Danielsville and Hull. ^[12]

By 1920, the office in Ila had reopened. ^[13] The county would retain these six post offices into the 21st century. ^{[update] [14]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 286 square miles (740 km²), of which 282 square miles (730 km²) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) (1.1%) is water. ^[15]

The vast majority of Madison County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin, with just a very small portion of the county's western edge located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. ^[16]

Adjacent counties

• Franklin County, Georgia – north
• Hart County, Georgia – northeast
• Elbert County, Georgia – east
• Oglethorpe County, Georgia – south
• Clarke County, Georgia – southwest
• Jackson County, Georgia – west
• Banks County, Georgia – northwest

Major highways

• U.S. Route 29
• State Route 8
• State Route 22
• State Route 72 Business
• State Route 72 Bypass
• State Route 72 Spur
• State Route 98
• State Route 106
• State Route 172
• State Route 174
• State Route 191
• State Route 281

Communities

Cities

• Carlton
• Colbert
• Comer
• Danielsville
• Hull
• Ila

Unincorporated communities

• Alvin
• Dogsboro
• Fort Lamar
• Hix
• Paoli
• Planter
• Pocataligo
• Shiloh

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	3,735		—
1830	4,646		24.4%
1840	4,510		−2.9%
1850	5,703		26.5%
1860	5,933		4.0%
1870	5,227		−11.9%
1880	7,977		52.6%
1890	11,024		38.2%
1900	13,224		20.0%
1910	16,851		27.4%
1920	18,803		11.6%
1930	14,921		−20.6%
1940	13,431		−10.0%
1950	12,238		−8.9%
1960	11,246		−8.1%
1970	13,517		20.2%
1980	17,747		31.3%
1990	21,050		18.6%
2000	25,730		22.2%
2010	28,120		9.3%
2020	30,120		7.1%
2023 (est.)	32,191	[17]	6.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [18] 1790-1880 [19] 1890-1910 [20] 1920-1930 [21] 1930-1940 [22] 1940-1950 [23] 1960-1980 [24] 1980-2000 [25] 2010 [26]

Madison County racial composition as of 2020 ^[27]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	23,549	78.18%
Black or African American	2,753	9.14%
Native American	44	0.15%
Asian	521	1.73%
Pacific Islander	4	0.01%
Other/Mixed	1,293	4.29%
Hispanic or Latino	1,956	6.49%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,120 people, 10,744 households, and 8,153 families residing in the county.

Government

The citizens of Madison County are represented by an elected six member board of commissioners. Each commissioner represents one of five districts plus a chairman of the board elected at large for the whole county.

United States presidential election results for Madison County, Georgia ^[28]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	12,951	77.15%	3,753	22.36%	83	0.49%
2020	11,326	75.78%	3,411	22.82%	208	1.39%
2016	9,201	76.16%	2,425	20.07%	455	3.77%
2012	8,443	75.84%	2,494	22.40%	196	1.76%
2008	8,226	72.38%	2,965	26.09%	174	1.53%
2004	7,254	73.60%	2,527	25.64%	75	0.76%
2000	5,529	69.17%	2,285	28.59%	179	2.24%
1996	3,992	53.40%	2,571	34.39%	913	12.21%
1992	3,351	48.61%	2,393	34.72%	1,149	16.67%
1988	3,724	69.10%	1,639	30.41%	26	0.48%
1984	3,768	69.04%	1,690	30.96%	0	0.00%
1980	2,330	43.14%	2,980	55.17%	91	1.68%
1976	1,115	24.88%	3,367	75.12%	0	0.00%
1972	2,606	82.00%	572	18.00%	0	0.00%
1968	600	16.00%	622	16.58%	2,529	67.42%
1964	1,190	33.70%	2,341	66.30%	0	0.00%
1960	205	7.82%	2,418	92.18%	0	0.00%
1956	161	6.76%	2,222	93.24%	0	0.00%
1952	225	10.59%	1,899	89.41%	0	0.00%
1948	62	4.31%	1,160	80.61%	217	15.08%
1944	265	17.64%	1,235	82.22%	2	0.13%
1940	185	13.61%	1,160	85.36%	14	1.03%
1936	393	18.73%	1,697	80.89%	8	0.38%
1932	38	1.75%	2,124	97.88%	8	0.37%
1928	527	52.65%	474	47.35%	0	0.00%
1924	121	17.64%	504	73.47%	61	8.89%
1920	281	28.85%	693	71.15%	0	0.00%
1916	19	1.32%	1,241	86.12%	181	12.56%
1912	13	1.80%	564	78.01%	146	20.19%

Education

Madison County public education is served by the Madison County School District. The Madison County Board of Education oversees and operates the public charter school system in the School District. Madison County Board of Education operates 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school and 1 career academy.

The Madison County Board of Education is overseen by 5 elected board members, from 5 districts in the county. The Board appoints a School Superintendent who works at the pleasure of the Board as a whole.

The district has 290 full-time teachers and over 4,621 students.

Public Schools

• Colbert Elementary School
• Comer Elementary School
• Danielsville Elementary School
• Hull-Sanford Elementary School
• Ila Elementary School
• Madison County Middle School (MCMS), Home of the Mustangs
• Madison County High School (MCHS), Home of the Red Raiders
• Broad River College and Career Academy

Private schools

• Union Christian Academy, Hull
• The Busy Box Pre-School, Hull
• The Learning Train Pre-School, Colbert
• Building Blocks Pre-School, Hull

Notable people

• Allen Daniel Jr. – major general, Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, state senator, namesake of Danielsville
• Josh Fields – Major League baseball player
• Crawford W. Long – the man who first used ether in surgery
• Ralph Hudgens – Georgia insurance and safety fire commissioner
• Jake Westbrook – former Major League baseball player

Historic sites

• Watson Mill Bridge – the longest original-site covered bridge in Georgia
• Birthplace of Crawford W. Long
• Murder site of Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn
• William Bartram Trail

See also

• State of Georgia portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Madison County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Madison County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 27, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p.  196.
4. Berryman, Mary Love (November 29, 2002). "MADISON COUNTY, GEORGIA - 1938". USGenWeb Archives. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
5. David D. Long (1921). "Soil Survey of Madison County, Georgia" (PDF). Nrcs.usda.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
6. "Ila". Georgia.gov. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
7. Alschuler, Albert W. (February 1995). "Racial Quotas and the Jury". Duke Law Journal . 44 (4). Duke University School of Law: 704–743. doi:10.2307/1372922. JSTOR   1372922.
8. Thompson, Jim (July 11, 2004). "Highway 172 revisited". Athens Banner-Herald .
9. "Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1879, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. Houghton, Osgood and Company, 1880. p. 331.
10. "Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1889, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. The Brodix Publishing Company, 1890. p. 478.
11. "Post Offices in the United States, December 1, 1900, With Stations and Sub-stations, Arranged by States and Counties." United States Official Postal Guide. George F. Lasher, Printer, 1901. p. 615.
12. "Post Offices and Branch Post Offices, Arranged by States and Counties, June 1, 1910." United States Official Postal Guide. J. B. Lyon Printers, 1910. p. 580.
13. "County List: Post Offices and Branch Post Offices, June 1, 1920." United States Official Postal Guide. The Post Office Department, 1920. p. 680.
14. Madison County, Georgia, at PostOfficeFinder.org. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
15. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
16. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
17. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
18. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
19. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
20. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
21. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
22. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
23. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
24. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
25. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
26. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
27. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
28. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 21, 2018.

External links

• Madison County Official Website
• Madison County Chamber of Commerce

34°08′N83°13′W / 34.13°N 83.21°W / 34.13; -83.21