Madison County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 13,308. Its county seat is Madison
Madison is named for the family of US president James Madison.
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Madison County, Virginia formed from Lincoln County. Legislative enactment in 1785. Organized in 1786. Now part of Kentucky. [Virginia Counties: Those Resulting from Virginia Legislation, by Morgan Poitiaux Robinson, originally published as Bulletin of the Virginia State Library, Volume 9, January, April, July 1916, reprinted 1992 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD.]
Madison County was named for James Madison, a prominent Virginian and a member of Congress in 1792 when the
county was formed from Culpeper County. Its area is 321 square miles, and the county seat is Madison. The population
is 12,520 according to the 2000 census.
Madison County was granted a charter in December 1792 well after the earliest colonists had settled the area. It was
named for the Madison family that owned a tract of land along the Rapidan River. This family produced one of our
nation's early presidents, James Madison whose estate is in neighboring Orange County. Madison County has been a
crossroads of history for over 11,000 years. Paleo-Indians, the royal governor Alexander Spottswood and the Knights
of the Golden Horseshoe, as well as Civil War Generals Stonewall Jackson and J. E. B. Stuart along with their men
have all been visitors to Madison County. Trails and early roads led through the Piedmont area of Madison and up
into the Blue Ridge Mountains enabling 18th and 19th century travelers to enter the Shenandoah Valley. Early
settlers included German, English and Scots/Irish families in the 18th century. Descendants of these families still
live in Madison. President Herbert Hoover bought land in the mountain area of Madison and built his summer camp
there. His official visit to the town of Madison in August 1929 is commemorated annually. The county has retained
its rich agricultural tradition and has maintained the architectural heritage of 18th and 19th century buildings and
homes
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 322 square miles (833 km2), of which, 321
square miles (832 km2) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km2) of it (0.11%) is water.
A significant portion of western Madison County is within Shenandoah National Park, including Old Rag, one of its
most popular tourist destinations, and Rapidan Camp, the presidential retreat built by Herbert Hoover.
Bordering counties are as follows:
Madison County High School