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Please add profiles of those who were born, lived or died in Madison County, Iowa.
Official Website
Madison County was formed on January 13, 1846. It has been self-governed since 1849. It was named after James Madison (1751–1836), the fourth President of the United States.
Hiram Hurst, a suspected murderer, arsonist and hog thief, was the first white settler in Madison County, having come from Missouri about April 15, 1846.
Madison County is famous for being the county where John Wayne was born, and for a number of covered bridges. These bridges were featured in Robert James Waller's 1992 novella The Bridges of Madison County, as well as the 1995 film and 2014 musical based on it.
There are only six extant covered bridges in Madison County of the original nineteen:
- Cedar Bridge built 1883, destroyed 2002, rebuilt 2004, 76 feet long. The rebuilt bridge was destroyed by a fire in 2017.
- Cutler-Donahoe Bridge built 1870, 79 feet long.
- Hogback Covered Bridge built 1884, 97 feet long.
- Holliwell Bridge built 1880, 122 feet long. Featured in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.
- Imes Bridge built 1870, 81 feet long.
- Roseman Covered Bridge built 1883, 107 feet long. This is the best-known one, as it is featured in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.
The remaining covered bridges were designed by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, with the following exceptions: Eli Cox built the Cutler-Donahoe Bridge, and J. P. Clark built the Imes Bridge.
Adjacent Counties
Cities, Townships & Communities
Barney | Bevington | Crawford | Douglas | Earlham | East Peru | Grand River | Jackson | Jefferson | Lee | Lincoln | Macksburg | Madison | Monroe | Ohio | Old Peru | Patterson | Penn | St. Charles | Scott | South | Truro | Union | Walnut | Webster | Winterset (County Seat)
Cemeteries
Links
National Register of Historic Places
The Bridges of Madison County (1992 book)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995 movie)
Madison County Genealogical Society
