The Madison County Historical Society (MCHS) was founded in 1928 and established a museum in 1966 to prepare for the centennial of Nebraska and of the city of Madison. The MCHS’s founding mission is to collect, preserve, and display objects relating to the county; to promote research and education relating to the county’s history; and to encourage participation by the cities of Battle Creek, Madison, Meadow Grove, Newman Grove, Norfolk, and Tilden and their surrounding areas in maintaining that history.
1880 Fire Pumper on Display at the Madison County Historical Society Museum
MCHS has Madison Star-Mail and earlier newspapers in digital format available on a computer. MCHS also has military, sports, farm machinery, native birds and animals (including coyote, deer, and bison), furniture, textiles, and a wide variety of interesting exhibits for visitors of all ages. Special displays include the development of communication from telegraph to telephones, the Orphan Train, an 1880 fire pumper, a Suni car manufactured in Madison, and other Madison County inventions. MCHS will host “Spark! Places of Innovation Exhibition” from November 9 to December 18, 2026, showcasing many inventions in this traveling exhibit.
Suni Car, manufactured in Madison, NE, driven on the Meridian Highway, now Highway 81.
Two of the most interesting collections held at MCHS are Dr. Edward N. Smart’s medical devices for treating broken bones and Dr. Francis A. Long and the Meridian Highway. Dr. Smart patented his medical device on August 19, 1919. Dr. Long was an important figure in the development of the Meridian Highway, an early automobile route. The highway passed through downtown Madison and spurred economic development by connecting Madison to the towns of Humphrey and Norfolk.
The Madison County Historical Society is the official museum of Madison County, Nebraska, located at 212 S. Kent Street, P. O. Box 708 in downtown Madison, Nebraska, the county seat. We have open hours from 1:30 – 5:00 Monday – Friday with a dedicated group of volunteers ready to give a tour or assist in research.
Contact us by email at learning24hrs@gmail.com or cell phone (402) 649-1881. Free admission and a Wooden Nickel to each visitor.
- Madison County Historical Society, March 2026
