Fort Madison, IA

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Fort Madison, Iowa (population 11,051) is located along the Mississippi River in the southeast corner of Iowa. Fort Madison is situated between small bluffs and one of the wides portions of the river. It is one of two county seats of Lee County (the other is Keoku, Iowa). It is the only county in Iowa with two seats of government.

Fort Madison was the location of the first U.S. military fort in the upper Mississippi region; a replica of the origianl fort stands along the river in Riverview Park. Sheffer Pens were developed and made in Fort Madison for many years. The City is the location of the Iowa State Pentitentiary 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 the last remaining double swing-span bridge on the Mississippi River, the Fort Madison Toll Bridge. It has a top level for cars and a bottom level for trains; it is also the world’s largest. The Fort Madison Downtown Historic District is a collection of well-preserved historic storefronts from the late 19th Century.

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 Uppper Mississippi. Fort Madison was the site of Chief 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.