Incorporated in 1809, Madison's antebellum houses remain virtually intact, possibly due to the efforts of Sen. Joshua Hill, an anti-secessionist who resigned his seat in Congress rather than vote on the issue of secession. When Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's Union forces approached Madison in November 1864, Hill and two other men worked to spare the town from the torch. Only the train depot, a cotton gin and a cloth factory were burned. Learn More...