# Madison County, Georgia

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. The county seat is Danielsville. 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, 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.
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. 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.
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.

### Postal history

In 1879, there were only four post offices in Madison County: Danielsville, Fort Lamar, Madison Springs and Paoli. 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.
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. By 1910, most of these post offices had closed; the only remaining ones were in Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Danielsville and Hull.
By 1920, the office in Ila had reopened. The county would retain these six post offices into the 21st century.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 286 square miles (740 km$^2$), of which 282 square miles (730 km$^2$) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km$^2$) (1.1%) is water.
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.

### 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
* Neese
* Paoli
* Planter
* Pocataligo
* Sanford
* Shiloh

## Demographics

Madison County racial composition as of 2020 :
| 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 :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 12,951 | 76.86% | 3,753 | 22.27% | 147 | 0.87% |
| 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