Fort Madison

History

Fort Madison was founded as the location of the first U.S. military fort in the upper Mississippi region. A replica of the fort stands along the river. Sheaffer Pens were developed and made in Fort Madison for many years. The city is the location of the Iowa State Penitentiary—the state's maximum security prison for men. Fort Madison is the Mississippi river crossing and station stop for Amtrak's Southwest Chief. Fort Madison has one of two remaining double swing-span bridges on the Mississippi River, the Fort Madison Toll Bridge, the other being the Government Bridge in Rock Island, Illinois. It has a top level for cars and a similar level for trains; it is also the world's largest.

The Fort Madison Downtown Commercial Historic District is a collection of well-preserved historic storefronts from the late 19th century. Along with this is the Park-to-Park Residential Historic District. The Historic Park to Park District is a seven block long, three block wide section of homes that represent the Gothic, Victorian, and Tudor era. With a rich variety of architectural styles like Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Eastlake Stick, Richardson Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Tudor. With two of the six parks within the District. It is on the National Historic Registry.

Original Fort Madison (1808–1813)

The city of Fort Madison was established around the site of the historic Fort Madison (1808–1813), which was the first permanent U.S. military fortification on the Upper Mississippi. Fort Madison was the site of Black Hawk's first battle against U.S. troops, the only real War of 1812 battle fought west of the Mississippi. It was also the location of the first U.S. military cemetery in the upper Midwest. The fort was named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States.

Fort Madison was one of three posts established by the U.S. Army to establish control over the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase territories. Fort Madison was built to control trade and pacify Native Americans in the Upper Mississippi River region. The other two posts were Fort Belle Fontaine near St. Louis, which controlled the mouth of the Missouri, and Fort Osage, near what is now Kansas City, which controlled trade with western Native American tribes.

A disputed 1804 treaty with the Sauk and affiliated tribes led to the U.S. claim of control over western Illinois and parts of what is now Iowa. To establish control, the U.S. Army set out to construct a post near the mouth of the Des Moines River, a major trading route into the interior of Iowa. Not finding suitable land near the mouth of the Des Moines, the expedition also considered land near Quashquame's Sauk and Meskwaki village at the head of the Des Moines Rapids, a choke point of trade and transportation on the Upper Mississippi below modern Montrose. Again, this land was not considered suitable for a fort. The Army settled on a location several miles upstream at what is now the city of Fort Madison.

First called Fort Belleview, this post was also soon deemed inadequate. It was poorly situated at the base of a bluff next to a deep ravine, areas from which enemies could safely fire at the fort. Its construction led to resentment among the local Native Americans, especially the Sauk: They considered the 1804 treaty invalid, the fort threatened established trading networks, and American trade goods were considered inferior to French or British goods.

Black Hawk lamented over the new fort, and disparaged its construction in his autobiography.

Almost from the beginning, the fort was attacked by Sauk and other tribes. U.S. troops were harassed when they left the fort, and in April 1809, only threat of cannon fire stopped an attempted storming of the fort.

Founding of the town of Fort Madison

The first settler at the ruins of the fort was General John Holly Knapp, who in 1832 bought a claim to some land of the fort and built the first building in the fall of the same year, utilized as an Indian Supply Store. Early next spring and his cousin Nathaniel Knapp with family settled there, joined by some other settlers the same year, In June 1835, General Knapp and Nathaniel Knapp, laid out the town of Fort Madison. Due to some land title issues, in 1840 the town was relocated on the same lot lines by the government.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 13.247 square miles (34.31 km2), of which 9.650 square miles (24.99 km2) is land and 3.597 square miles (9.32 km2) (27.15%) is water.

Fort Madison is famous for the Tri-State Rodeo, RiverFest, Mexican Fiesta, Balloons Over the Mississippi, Art in Central Park and Annual Lighted Parade.

Demographics

According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of July 31, 2026, in Fort Madison was $112,910.

As of the 2024 American Community Survey, there were 4,548 estimated households in Fort Madison with an average of 2.05 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $50,705. Approximately 15.0% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Fort Madison has an estimated 51.5% employment rate, with 18.5% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 90.7% holding a high school diploma. There were 5,030 housing units at an average density of 521.24 per square mile (201.25/km2).

The top five reported languages (people were allowed to report up to two languages, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (97.3%), Spanish (1.4%), Indo-European (0.8%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.3%), and Other (0.3%).

The median age in the city was 42.1 years.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,270 people, 4,315 households, and 2,455 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,064.91 inhabitants per square mile (411.16/km2). There were 5,013 housing units at an average density of 519.81 per square mile (200.70/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.97% White, 4.40% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.74% from some other races and 6.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.24% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,051 people, 4,403 households, and 2,667 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,164.24 inhabitants per square mile (449.52/km2). There were 4,956 housing units at an average density of 522.12 per square mile (201.59/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.33% White, 5.54% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from some other races and 2.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.65% of the population.

There were 4,403 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was 39.9 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.2% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.8% male and 47.2% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 10,715 people, 4,617 households and 2,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,162.90 inhabitants per square mile (449.00/km2). There were 5,106 housing units at an average density of 554.16 per square mile (213.96/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.64% White, 2.67% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 2.36% from some other races and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.44% of the population.

There were 4,617 households, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87.

Age spread: 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,318, and the median family income was $42,067. Males had a median income of $32,530 versus $21,170 for females. The per capita income was $18,124. About 9.8% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company was founded in Fort Madison in 1907 by Walter A. Sheaffer. Sheaffer owned a jewelry store, in the back of which he invented a lever-filling fountain pen. Millions of pens were produced. The company was sold in 1997 to the French manufacturer Bic, which closed the Fort Madison plant in 2006, and then to the A.T. Cross Company of Providence, RI in 2014. The Sheaffer Pen Museum in Fort Madison features many exhibits of the company's writing instruments.

Arts and culture

An annual Parade of Lights along Avenue G takes place on the Friday after Thanksgiving, following which the lighted floats, sponsored by local businesses and industry, go on display in Riverside Park until after New Year's Day.

The North Lee County Historical Society curated many historic locations in Fort Madison.

The BNSF swing span double decker bridge was the longest double decker, swing span bridge in the world when it was constructed in 1927 at 3,140 feet long.

The North Lee County Courthouse is the oldest active courthouse in the state, built in the 1840s.

The North Lee County Jail was constructed in 1867 and served as a small jailhouse into the 1970s. It is now the site of tours hosted by the city on a Beggars Night celebration every Halloween.

Brush College was built in the mid-1800s to replace the log one-room school.

The historical society maintains both the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Depot and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway caboose and steam locomotive.

Government

Fort Madison has a Mayor/City Council form of government. The city council consists of a Mayor and seven council members. Five council members are elected from individual wards and two are elected at large. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The Iowa State Penitentiary, a maximum security institution for men, is in Fort Madison.

Education

Fort Madison has a Junior College Campus Southeastern Community College (Iowa) located at 1602 Avenue F.

The Fort Madison Community School District, the public school district of the city, has two elementary schools (Richardson and Lincoln), one middle school (Fort Madison Middle School) and one high school (Fort Madison High School).

A section of the city limits lies in the Central Lee Community School District.

Fort Madison also has a Catholic School System, Holy Trinity Catholic Schools, which formed in 2005 from the merger of Aquinas Schools in Fort Madison with the West Point Catholic schools. Holy Trinity High School consists of a junior/senior high school. Holy Trinity Elementary School is a few miles away in West Point, Iowa.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, has a station in Fort Madison (& Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Passenger and Freight Complex Historic District) that serves its Southwest Chief route with daily service in each direction between Union Station in Chicago, Illinois and Union Station in Los Angeles, California. Fort Madison is the only Southwest Chief route stop within the state of Iowa. The Southwest Chief crosses the Mississippi River on the Fort Madison Toll Bridge just to the east of town. The span, owned by the BNSF Railway, is the world's longest swing bridge, and it carries both road and rail traffic across the Mississippi River over its upper and lower deck, respectively, between Fort Madison and Niota, Illinois.

In addition to Amtrak, two other railroads serve Fort Madison: the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) and Union Pacific.

Greyhound Bus Lines stops to pick up or discharge passengers at 5002 Avenue O in Fort Madison.

U.S. Route Business 61 and Iowa Highway 2 form a single artery that runs east and west through the heart of the city, following the river and railroad tracks. A controlled access U.S. Route 61 bypass around Fort Madison opened to traffic in the fall of 2011. U.S. Route 61 connects to U.S. Route 34, U.S. Route 218/Iowa Highway 27, Iowa Highway 2, Iowa Highway 16 and Interstate 80 in Iowa; Interstate 72 in Illinois; and Interstate 70 in Missouri.

Notable people

Black Hawk, Sauk leader in the 1832 Black Hawk War.

Mark W. Balmert, U.S. Navy admiral

Brad Bigler, head men's basketball coach at SMSU

Ryan Bowen, NBA player

James Duderstadt, President of the University of Michigan

Todd Farmer, writer, actor, and film producer

Bob Fry, professional golfer

Jane Greer, poet

Kate Harrington, poet

Thomas M. Hoenig, chief executive of the Tenth District Federal Reserve Bank, in Kansas City

Patty Judge, 46th Lieutenant Governor

Jerry Junkins, CEO of Texas Instruments, Incorporated

Dick Klein, founder of the Chicago Bulls

Jeff Kurtz, member of the Iowa House of Representatives from district 83

Dennis O'Keefe, actor, star of films such as Raw Deal

James Theodore Richmond, writer and conservationist

Aloysius Schulte, first President of St. Ambrose College

Walter A. Sheaffer, founder of the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company

Sister city

Prüm, Germany