Madison County, Iowa

 

Founding: 1849 (declared in 1846)
Parent county: Unorganized territory

Namesake: James Madison, U.S. president
Seat: Winterset (1849–)

Land area: 561 square miles

Population (2020): 16,548

Population (historic): 1,179 (1850); 13,884 (1870); 15,977 (1890); 15,621 (1910); 14,331 (1930)

Periods of population growth: pre-1850–1880; 1890s; 1930s; 1970s; 1990–2020

Subdivisions: Eight cities; 16 townships

National Register listings: 55

Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 2,183 (31.7%)
Pre-1940 housing survival rate: 56.6%
Pre-1860 housing survival rate (1940): 6.2%

Farm housing in disrepair (1950): 7.3%

Nonfarm housing in disrepair (1950): 7.4%

Average farmhouse value (1930): $1,830
Average outbuilding value (1930): $1,906
Average farmhouse size (1940): 6.2 rooms
Number of farms (1920): 2,125
Average farm size (1920): 123.5 acres
Sources of settlement: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York
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Winterset

Namesake: A play on the English name Somerset

Founding: 1849 (platting); 1850 (post office); 1857 (incorporation)

Population (2020): 5,353

Population (historic): 915 (1860); 2,583 (1880); 3,039 (1900); 2,921 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1849–1880; 1890s; 1910–1940; 1950–2020

Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 755 (32.9%)
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Outstanding Buildings

1. *Charles Bevington House (1856). 805 South 2nd Avenue. Lincoln. Gothic Revival.
2. *Wesley Ford Farm (c. 1870). 1561 135th Road. Penn. Italianate.
3. *Nimrod Hollingsworth Farm (c. 1875). 2797 Pioneer Road. Scott. Italianate.
4. *Hogan Queen Farm (c. 1856). 2793 St. Charles Road. South. Gothic Revival.
5. *John Drake House (c. 1856). 1102 State Route 92. Webster.