Madison Station post office was opened in 1857, when Madison Station was about eight miles from Nashville proper, roughly halfway between Nashville and
Goodlettsville. In the 20th century, Madison acted as a connecting suburb until being annexed into Nashville in 1963 due to the consolidation with Davidson County. Madison funnels traffic to Goodlettsville,
Hendersonville,
Gallatin,
Inglewood, and downtown Nashville. Old Hickory Boulevard (
State Route 45) is a section of the
Trail of Tears, the route of the forced removal of
Cherokee Indians from
North Carolina to
Oklahoma, directed by
U.S. President Andrew Jackson. This route passes directly by Jackson's estate,
The Hermitage, in the neighboring community of
Old Hickory, Tennessee. Madison was once home to the "Hillbilly Day" festival. This festival was created as a fundraiser to benefit schools within the area. This fundraising festival included costumes, school events, and a parade. Madison's first "Hillbilly Day" was in 1952. Madison is also home to Amqui train station that was built by the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad and serviced by the company until 1979. After L&N Railroad vacated the station, country musician
Johnny Cash purchased it and moved it from Madison to his home in nearby
Sumner County. The station was later returned to Madison after the deaths of Cash and his wife
June Carter Cash. As of 2016, it housed a museum and
visitor center for the neighborhood. On
December 9, 2023, a
significant and deadly tornado tore across the northern Nashville metro, killing 3 people. Madison was among the hardest hit during the event. A substation was hit in the area by the tornado, causing a massive explosion and fireball that went viral on social media. ==Education==