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MADISONVILLE,
TEXASMadison
County, Central
Texas South
2
miles west of I-45
State Hwys 21 and 90
US Hwys 75 and 190
28 miles
N of Huntsville
24 miles S of Centerville
36 miles E of
Bryan via North
Zulch
Population: 4,159 (2000) (about one third of the county's population)
3,569
(1990) |
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History in a Pecan
shell
President
James Madison was the namesake for both county and town. Job Starks Collard donated
the 200 acres that became Madisonville. Lots were sold in 1853 around the county's
first courthouse, which was built the following year. The population was almost
at 100 people by 1870 and a steady growth continued throughout the 1880s.
The Madisonville Meteor, still in print today, was founded in 1895, when
the population was about 700. In 1903 the International-Great Northern Railroad
ran a line from Navasota
which it discontinued in 1944. With new highways built in the late 20s and 30s,
Madisonville became less dependant on the railroad and the highways aided local
residents who migrated to urban areas in search of better paying jobs.
A mushroom plant was started by Ralston-Purina in the 70s and was bought out in
the 1980s by Monterey Mushrooms. The plant remains a major economic force today,
employing about 400 people.
The Madisonville Sidewalk Cattleman's Association,
founded in the 1940s holds an annual celebration each June and is one of the town's
major events of the year.
A former bank building close to the Madisonville
Meteor Newspaper Office has recently been donated to the Madison County Historical
Society and efforts are underway to turn the building into a museum.
Woodbine Hotel and Museum: 209 N. Madison Street.
Built in 1904, the
former hotel and boarding house is a handsome example of Texas architecture from
the early 20th Century.
Madison
County Courthouse |
Madisonville
Tourist informationMadisonville
Chamber of Commerce:
113 West Trinity 936-348-3591
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