The white bus ran the route between Madison and Indianapolis. It is pictured here at 310 Walnut Street. It evolved into the White Star Line run by Bill Lockridge.
Business enterprises; Diedrick, George; Holwager, Louis; Mundt, Walter C.; Mundt, Betty; Candy
In 1887 this building served as a boot and shoe store owned by George Diedrick. It was also Todd's Book Store. In 1890 Louis Holwager's Grocery Store was housed here. According to the city directories, the Western Union Telegraph Co. was once...
Business enterprises; Farmers' markets; Courthouses
In early Madison there were four designated market house areas. The earliest markets were originally governed by the Trustees of the Town of Madison. There was an appointed "Market Master" to oversee the operation and upkeep of the markets. The...
Located at 214 Jefferson St., this dwelling served as a boarding house run by Delia Miles in the 1940s. However, the house was demolished around 1960 when the city leveled the block to make way for a parking lot on Jefferson Street from Second...
The building is in the 1886 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and it is listed as a saloon. The 1887 city directory lists the building as a saloon run by Julius Schmidt with his residence above. Evidently, the building was used for this purpose until...
In 1886 a two-story boarding house was located at the 321 address. It was run by James W. Horton and it was also his residence. A little later it was called the Cottage Hotel. In the 1930s the site was cleared and until about 1942 it served as a...
The first Jay C Store was opened in Madison in 1927 by J. C. Grubb of Seymour, Indiana. It was the second store opened by Mr. Grubb and it was located at 103 East Main Street. In 1928, Grubb opened another store at 319 Jefferson. After a few...
Stables; Livery; Business enterprises; Sale barn; Warehouses
This building was probably built to be a livery stable or at least a building to contain horses. The 1859 city directory lists the building as McCubbin and Sons Livery. It was also called a livery and sale barn at one point. For several years in...
Robert Glass was born in 1882 to Frederick and Louisa P. Glass. He was a well-known and well-liked businessman in Madison. Upon the death of his father, he helped run the family businesses, the Frederick Glass Ice Cream Company and the Glass Dairy...
In the early to mid 1880s this address was a photography studio run by Manson R. Lanham and William W. Wagner. In 1889, Crozier Monuments was at the same address havng moved from the SE corner of First and Mulberry Streets. The monument company was...
The Madison incline seemed to be a favored spot for hiking. Folks knew the train schedule and usually took advantage of periods when there would be no rail traffic. There was no scheduled run on Sunday, so perhaps this is a social event on a...
Steamboats; Riverboats; Excursion boats; "Belle of Louisville"; "Avalon"; Ferries; USO clubs; Rose Island
Built in 1914 this boat went by the name Idlewild from that date to 1947. She then became the Avalon from 1947 to 1962 when she was dubbed "Belle of Louisville". She is a shallow draft boat which enables her to glide over water that would not be...
The "Hattie Brown" was built in 1884 and made a regular run from Warsaw to Madison, Indiana and back daily. She was converted to an oil engine in 1915; two years later she was lost in the terrible freeze of 1917-1918 when the Ohio River froze for...
The inscription on the picture reads, "Train 927, ready for the last passenger run out of Madison, June 30, 1931. Compliments of the engineer J. R. Pogue." With this brief passage Mr. Pogue summarized almost 100 years of railroading in Madison,...
Steamboats; Riverboats; W. S. McChesney, Jr.; Diesel; Ohio River
The "Froman M. Coots" began life as a steam ferry built for the Wiggins Ferry Company of St. Louis. At that time she was called the "W. S. McChesney, Jr." She served the Louisville and Jeffersonville areas. It was converted to diesel-electric...
The "Trimble" ferryboat was a familiar sight in Madison for many years. Built in 1895 for Captain Joseph C. Abbott, at the Jeffersonville boatworks, she worked the Milton-to-Madison run for almost thirty-five years.
In 1867 the city council decided Madison needed to update and improve its water works. Industrialization and increased population were putting pressure on a deteriorating water system. They instructed A. M. Cornett, City Engineer, to submit plans...
