Madison

Formed September 30, 1836 (35^th county)

Madison County (16,521), Huntsville (2,881)

The governmental appearance to the 1939 courthouse made of masonry stands out in this small community.  T. Ewing Shelton and E. Chester Nelson designed the Art Deco style facility.  There were 1839, 1845, 1871, 1881, and 1905 earlier in Huntsville, the only court seat.  The courthouse is located on Main Street (United States Highway 412) at Court Street.  President James Madison provided the county’s name.  John Hunt, founder of Huntsville, Alabama, provides the source for the county seat’s name.  Madison County was the birthplace of 1 Arkansas Governor, Orval E. Faubus.  Madison County was formed from Washington County on September 30, 1836 as the 35^th county. 

Madison County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 9 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Seven Circuit Court Judges serve Madison and Washington counties and a District Court Judge, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Madison County (judicial.)  The county is located just east of Fayetteville, Arkansas in the northwest part of the state.  The center of the county is 14.4 miles South-Southeast of Huntsville nearer Witter.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Carroll, Newton, Johnson, Franklin, Crawford, Washington, and Benton counties.  

The area of the county is 837.1 square miles.  It is 13 of 75 in size.  It ranks 47 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.7 persons per square mile making it 55 out of 75 in the state.  Madison County has 16.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 412 transits from Carroll County, north, into Washington County, west.  A rectangle with its eastern border bowing out and back in incremental steps best describes the county.  Huntsville is slightly north and west of center.  Huntsville is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 17.4% of the county population.  The county is in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area.