Page 21 - MACC Guide 2019/2020

MADISON RAILROAD HISTORY
Train enthusiasts can take delight in the historical railway
Lanier Home
Incline Cut—which covers a distance of 7,012 ft. and rises State Historic Site
412 ft. in elevation, the old Madison Railroad Station
Museum located on First Street, and the annual special 1929
train trips organized by the municipally held Madison
Railroad.
Jefferson Proving Ground
ammunitions testing
1941
During the Civil War Jefferson County residents
distinguished themselves by providing more soldiers
than any other county in the state, and J.F.D. Lanier, a Some Came
Running
local banker, provided a loan to the state to finance the films in Madison
Lanier Mansion
outfitting of the soldiers from throughout the state. 1958
After the turn of the 20th century there were other
noteworthy events. In 1907 construction was started on
the Southeastern Indiana Hospital for the Insane. The Miss Madison
hydroplane wins Gold Cup
hospital opened in 1910, and in 1927 it was renamed the
Madison State Hospital. In 1920 Clifty Falls State Park, 1971
the 3rd in the state, was established on land donated by
local residents. In 1929 the Lanier Home, a Greek Re-
National Register
vival masterpiece designed by Francis Costigan, would of Historic Places
designated
become the state’s first historic site.
1973
PRESERVING FREEDOM AND CULTURE
With the start of war in Europe, the Jefferson Proving
Ground, an ammunition testing facility, was established Visitor’s Bureau
on 51,000 acres in the northern part of Jefferson County Historic Madison established
1988
and in parts of adjacent counties. The first shot was fired
there in 1941 and the last shot was in 1994. In 2000 much
of the facility was designated as the Big Oaks National
Wildlife Refuge. Big Oaks National
Wildlife Refuge
1958 brought some excitement to town with the designated
filming of “Some Came Running” starring Frank Sinatra, 2000
Shirley McLaine, Dean Martin, and Martha Hyer. It was
MGM’s biggest U. S. production that year. National Historic
The 1960’s saw attention being focused on saving one Landmark District
created
of Madison’s greatest attributes—its historic buildings—
2001
culminating in 1973 with 133 blocks in the city being
placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Then
in 2001 Madison would see the creation of the Madison Madison
celebrates
National Historic Landmark District, the highest distinc- Bicentennial
tion for a historic resource in the United States. It is the Madison Bicentennial Park 2009
largest contiguous NHL district in the country encom-
passing over 2,000 buildings.
CELEBRATING MADISON Milton-Madison Bridge
slides into place
In 1971 the world’s only community owned hydro- 2014
plane, Miss Madison, won the coveted Gold Cup. The
event was celebrated in the 2001 film, “Madison”, with
Jim Caviezel and Bruce Dern.
Stellar Community
A world record was set again in 2014 when the new achieved
roughly half mile span of the Madison/Milton Bridge 2017
was slid into place. It was a feat viewed by engineers
from around the world.
Our history is alive and well in our daily lives. As
you familiarize yourself with fascinating local stories 2019
from the past, we hope you’ll see how their preservation Milton-Madison Bridge
enriches our present and future. 

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