Madison County is located in the timberlands of the East Texas Plains. It is a rolling terrain that has been a major crossroads in Texas. This county was much used by nomadic Indians moving north, south, east, and west and also used by the “white men” settlers. East of the county lies the Trinity River and to the west is the Navasota River.
Madison County rests nearly mid-way between Houston and Dallas. On its south side one finds Walker County while, on the north end, one travels into Leon County. Houston County is on the east side and Brazos County lies to the west.
The land has timber and grassland. In its early days, panthers, deer, turkeys, and buffalo grazed the prairie grass. There are historians who say that the French explorer, LaSalle, came to the county in the mid 1500’s and met his death near the Trinity River in Madison County rather than dying near Navasota, Texas.
Indian campsites have been discovered that date back to 3000 or 4000 B.C. to 1500 A.D. Some of those early Indians were the Bedias and Kickapoo, but the tribe that raided into Madison County and spread terror in the hearts of the settlers was called “The People” or the dreaded Comanche. These Indians killed many Mexican and white settlers.
The first Spanish settlement was in the 1700’s near the Trinity River. It was called Bucareli. The Bucareli people did not stay in the county long because of Comanche raids, flooding of the Trinity, and mosquitoes. They packed up and moved on east to settle what is now Nacogdoches, Texas.
Some of the Madison County residents fought Santa Anna in the Battle of San Jacinto. As they went into battle with General Sam Houston, one Madison County man, Major W.C. Young, is credited with originating the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo!” Other Texans took up the cry as they attacked the hated Mexican army. This defeat led to Texas independence.
There are old roads running through Madison County. They are much older than the early settlements. The most famous of these travelways is The Old San Antonio Road or El Camino Real. A Robbins Ferry took travelers across the Trinity River to travel this road. When Sam Houston lived in Huntsville, he and his wife often went across the Trinity. Mrs. Houston and Mrs. Bozeman of Madison County were great friends. Houston even came to Madisonville once to give a political speech.
The county seat of Madison County is Madisonville. It has several established communities that it served. Madisonville before and after the civil war was described as “a wild and wooly burg.” There were six saloons and a lot of unlawful people there. In the Conor community one might find outlaws hanging or hiding out.
Madisonville has had several courthouses and jails. Because they were wooden structures, they often burned down. The town became more settled when the Methodist people came in the early 1850’s. After their church was established, the Baptists built a church. This was a time of more law abiding citizens. The wood court house was replaced with a Gothic/ Flemish design. It was made of Brick but it burned on May 14, 1967.
Madison County, in the 1950’and 60’s, boasted that it had more cattle per acre than any other county in 
Texas. Horse and cattle ranching still abounds. Cotton was the main crop in the early 1900’s, but it isn’t raised much now. Oil and gas wells dot the county. Businesses and eating places are found in Madisonville. The newly built Buc-ee’s is located off of Highway 21 and Interstate 45. It attracks travelers going from Houston to Dallas. Highway 90 leads to Navasota and 21 goes to Crockett, Bryan and College Station; thus, Madison County is still a great Texas Crossroad.
The famous Sidewalk Cattleman’s association is celebrated in late May and early June. They came up with the idea that Madisonville had too many “sidewalk cowboys.” If one wore boots but didn’t own cows, he might be dumped into the horse trough on the square. Now days there are still many real cowboys who can be seen pulling their horses through town.
All in all, Madison County is a pleasant, safe place to live and raise a family.
