Madison Township, Daviess County, Indiana

Madison Township
Township

Looking west on Highway 58 from U.S. 231, in Madison Township

Location of Madison Township in Daviess County
Coordinates: 38°51′34″N 86°58′01″W / 38.85944°N 86.96694°W / 38.85944; -86.96694Coordinates: 38°51′34″N 86°58′01″W / 38.85944°N 86.96694°W / 38.85944; -86.96694
Country United States
State Indiana
County Daviess
Government
 • Type Indiana township
Area
 • Total 36.79 sq mi (95.3 km2)
 • Land 36.64 sq mi (94.9 km2)
 • Water 0.15 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation[1] 614 ft (187 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 2,840
 • Density 77.5/sq mi (29.9/km2)
FIPS code 18-45936[2]
GNIS feature ID 453590

Madison Township is one of ten townships in Daviess County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,840 and it contained 1,233 housing units.[3]

History

Madison Township was organized in 1823 and given the name of "Wallace Township". It had first been settled about two years before; the first pioneer was Baldwin Howard, whose initial residence was about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the present town of Odon. The original name was used for twelve years; in 1835, residents supported a petition to change the township's name to "Madison", and the county commissioners granted their request.[4]

Among the township's leading nineteenth-century residents was one Ben Perkins, a mulatto; despite the prevailing sentiments of the time, he was well regarded in the community. Living at a time when only whites held the franchise, he regularly voted the Whig ticket without being challenged. In the 1856 spring elections, the Know Nothing movement was popular in Madison Township, and the Democrats nominated Perkins for township clerk; to their surprise, he won, and his actions in office won him the reputation of one of the best clerks the township ever had. To the even greater surprise of local Democratic leaders, Perkins refused to vote the party line in the presidential election of that autumn, instead supporting John C. Frémont, the Republican candidate.[4]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 36.79 square miles (95.3 km2), of which 36.64 square miles (94.9 km2) (or 99.59%) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km2) (or 0.41%) is water.[3]

Cities and towns

Unincorporated towns

Adjacent townships

Major highways

Cemeteries

The township contains these cemeteries: Ferguson, Friendship, Pleasant Hill and Walnut Hill.

References

  1. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
  4. 1 2 Fulkerson, A.O., ed. History of Daviess County Indiana: Its People, Industries, and Institutions. Bowen: Indianapolis, 1915, 277-278.
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