Eastside Industry & Business Walking Tour Preview

1

The Hunger Building

301 Jefferson St. c. 1850-1900 This was an early hotel. The third floor ballroom has a platform for musicians. The Hunger family lived down the street at 213 Jefferson St.

2

First Commercial Bank

308 Jefferson St. c. 1830 This was the site of the first chartered bank in Indiana. It was authorized in 1814 by the Indiana Territorial Legislature, since Indiana was not a state until 1816. It operated for 10 years until its charter was revoked.

3

Jefferson County Courthouse

300 E Main St. c. 1855 This is the third courthouse to be built in Madison. The first being built in 1811, but then it was sold and a new courthouse was built in 1822. The courthouse caught fire in 1853 and the current one was built in its place soon after. The dome of the courthouse caught fire during remodeling in 2009, but was restored again by 2011.

4

David Wilson House

315 E. Second St. c. 1825 This home is a fine example of Federal Style architecture. Wilson was a Philadelphia-trained cabinet maker.

5

The Richard Talbott Inn

218 Walnut St. c. 1819 It is one of the oldest homes in Madison. This first part of the house was built in 1819, but a larger addition was done in 1850. Also called the “Old Welsh House”. The original front doors are seen to be on the second level because of the street being lowered for better ease of reaching the river.

6

Ice House

211 Walnut St. c. 1840 Ice houses were used to store ice and snow following the winter for use in later months. The walls are two feet thick to insulate the stored ice. The present floor covers a pit and is now the basement.

7

Schofield Woolen Mill

202 Jefferson St. c. 1877 Formerly Meyers & Son, this building was designed to maximize natural light. They later manufactured Penguin brand overalls.

8

Myers Stone Barn

310 E. First St. c. 1810-1820 This is said to be the oldest building in Madison and was used as a stable and carriage house. It served as a slaughterhouse in the early 1900s.

9

Madison Gas Works

407 E. First St. c. 1850 This was the first gas plant in the Northwest Territory. The buildings contained three coke ovens. They heated coal to form a product called coke, which could be used as fuel.

10

Eagle Cotton Mill

108 Saint Michaels Ave. c. 1884 100 windows on the riverside made optimum use of sunlight. An 1887 map of Madison shows railroad tracks extending along the river from the railroad cut to the Eagle Cotton Mill, then curving north for two more blocks. The mill was renovated and revitalized into the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in 2021.