Madison

Formed January 13, 1846 (36^th county)

Madison County (16,545), Winterset (5,357)

A classic stone Italianate/Revival/Classical courthouse with domed working clock tower was erected in 1876.  It is located on a square at 1^st Street, Jefferson Street, John Wayne Avenue, and Court Street.  The courthouse is 10 blocks south of United States Highway 169.  Andrew H. Piquenard is the courthouse architect.  The facility has wooden doors and stairs internally and a Liberty Bell externally.  The county was formed on January 13, 1846 as the 36^th county and named for United States President James Madison.  The county was taken from Polk County with Winterset as the only county seat.  President Madison is also the namesake for one of the county seats of Lee County.  The county seat was established during a cold spell in the summer thus providing the descriptive term.  Madison County was the birthplace of 1 Iowa Governor, Kimberly K. Reynolds. 

Madison County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Supervisors.  Fifty-nine District Court Judges and Twenty-one Magistrates serve Madison, Adair, Adams, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Marion, Polk, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Warren, and Wayne counties.  The county is in south central Iowa directly southwest of Des Moines, Iowa.  The county center is 3.1 miles South-Southeast of Winterset.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Dallas, Polk, Warren, Clarke, Union, Adair, and Guthrie counties. 

The county has an area of 561 square miles.  It is 60 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 45 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 29.5 persons per square mile making it 43 out of 99 in the state.  Madison County has 50.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 80 clips the northwest corner of the county from Dallas County, north, to Adair County, west.  United States Highway 6 is joined with Interstate Highway 80 from Dallas to Adair counties.  United States Highway 169 travels north to south in the county from Dallas County to Union County.  The county is overall a rectangle.  Winterset is located near the center of the county.  Winterset is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 32.4% of the county population.  This county is in the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.