Madison, Indiana

At the urging of my co-worker Jen who once lived in Indianapolis, we visited Madison, an amazingly well-preserved town of about 12,000 people along the Ohio River. (We took this pic of Madison on the Kentucky side of the waterway.)
Madison thrived in the early 1800s because of lucrative commerce along the river and a major railway line.
The boom produced a surprisingly large variety of notable architecture in the Federalist and Greek revival styles that now make up one of the largest national historic landmark districts in the country.
Main Street is lined with boutique shops, art galleries, antiques stores, cafes and restaurants.

Rex found a fairly well-stocked cigar shop but most other businesses were closed late Sunday afternoon.



The town's old high school, in the middle, is being converted into apartments.
Two of Madison's most important buildings, the Elk's Lodge (left) and the old City Hall, were badly damaged in a fire less than a year ago.