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Madison History

Madison is located on a ridge of land that extends from near Summit northwest toward Morristown. This ridge is made up of the remains of the terminal moraine left by the Wisconsin Glacier more than 10,000 years ago. This is part of the outwash plain from the glacier in its terminal position. Low-lying wetlands are on either side of this ridge — the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge to the southwest and the Black Meadows/Troy Meadows are to the northeast. These lowlands are part of the remains of Lake Passaic, which was formed by melting ice as the glacier receded. Until the lake disappeared, the higher elevation portions of Madison were on a small island in the lake.

Eventually, the lake drained when the ice receded enough to reveal the Little Falls Gap. However, the signs of the glacier can still be seen around town. There are many “kettle holes” in Madison, which mark the places where huge chunks of ice were left behind to melt, buried in the rubble that had been pushed forward by the glacier. One of the largest of these is on the property of Drew University, visible from Glenwild Road. In recent years, Morris County acquired the “Moraine” property as public parkland.

The ridge provided a natural route from the Short Hills gap in the Watchung Mountains to the higher country north and west of Morristown. The Minisink Trail, used by the Lenape Indians, passed along what is now Kings Road in Madison. In 1804, the Morris Turnpike was established along the route of present Main Street. In 1837 (only seven years after the first public railroad was established in the United States), the Morris and Essex railroad was completed, following this natural ridge through Madison. Being on the “main road,” Madison developed earlier than many neighboring towns and was heavily influenced by its access to good transportation.

The earliest settlers, who were of European descent, arrived in about 1715 and established “Bottle Hill” at the crossroads of Ridgedale Avenue and Kings Road. The Luke Miller house, built around 1730 at 105 Ridgedale Avenue, is the oldest remaining home in the Borough. Morris County, created in 1739, was divided into three townships. The area in Madison north of Kings Road was in Hanover Township and the area to the south in Morris Township. A meeting house for the Presbyterian Church of South Hanover, as Madison was then called, was started in 1747 at the location of the present day Hillside Cemetery between Kings Road and Main Street. In 1806, Chatham Township was formed (comprising the present Madison, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township and Florham Park), and the division of the village was ended. In 1834, the name of the village was changed to Madison, and in 1889, with a population of 3,250, it seceded from Chatham Township and became a borough in order to develop a local water supply system.

Madison’s growth accelerated after the Civil War. The railroad provided good transportation for its farm produce. Later, the railroad made the establishment of a flourishing rose growing industry possible. This is still commemorated in Madison’s nickname, “The Rose City.” The Morris and Essex Line became one of America’s first commuter railroads, attracting well-to-do families and contributing to the development of “Millionaire’s Row,” which stretched from downtown Madison to Morristown.

The rose industry and the large estates in the area attracted working class people of all kinds. As a result, Madison developed a varied population (both in terms of socio-economic status and ethnic background) very early. The original settlers were British and French; African-Americans have been members of the community from early in the 19th century; Irish came in mid-century; and Germans and Italians arrived around the turn of the century.

Rapid population growth in the 20th century, especially in the 1920s and following World War II, has created an almost fully developed municipality. Today, Madison consists of an area of 4.2 square miles, and has a population of approximately 16,000. Madison remains a diverse community, welcoming recent emigrants from Central and South America, Europe and Asia.