The community of Madison was founded in 1856 following the arrival of the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad. Originally known as Madison Station, it was named for President James Madison. In the late 1800s, Madison was known as the “Strawberry Capital of the World” for the amount of strawberries harvested and shipped north by rail. In 1950, Madison gained recognition as the first in Mississippi to elect women to the office of mayor, board of aldermen and town clerk.