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OLD FORT MADISONPRESERVATION

First U.S. fort on the Upper Mississippi, established 1808

Rebuilding the riverfront fort that started the westward expansion

Old Fort Madison is a living-history site on the Mississippi riverfront, the first permanent United States post on the Upper Mississippi and a frontier garrison through the War of 1812. We preserve, rebuild, and interpret it for the people who visit today and the ones who come next.

Support the campaign - Preserving our Past/Forging our FuturePlan your visit
Capital campaign$2,617,478 of $3.5M75%

See the plan and follow our progress

A riverfront fort at the start of westward expansion

The first U.S. fort on the Upper Mississippi

Built in 1808 after the Louisiana Purchase, the fort was the first permanent United States military post on the Upper Mississippi, one of three raised to hold the new frontier.

It was first called Fort Bellevue, then renamed for James Madison. A garrison of about sixty soldiers held a five-cornered post through the War of 1812, including the intense siege of September 1812, in which the Sauk leader Black Hawk took part. In November 1813, after months of Native resistance and a breakdown in the Army's supply system, the garrison evacuated Fort Madison and burned the post before withdrawing down the Mississippi. Black Hawk later said nothing was left but the chimneys.

The site was rediscovered in 1965 when archaeology in a factory parking lot exposed the central blockhouse and the officers' quarters. A replica fort rose nearby in the mid-1980s, much of it built by volunteers. Today it is a living-history site on the riverfront with tours, reenactments, and school programs.

Read the full story

Established 1808

A five-cornered fort, roughly 120 by 160 feet, garrisoned by about sixty soldiers.

First name
Fort Bellevue
Renamed for
James Madison
Abandoned
1813
On the Register
1973

A message from the campaign

The case for rebuilding

Video by Terence Gordon

The $3.5 million campaign

Build the fort's next century

We are raising $3.5 million to raise the site above the flood plain, finish the reconstruction, and open a year-round Welcome Center/Living History Center on the riverfront. It will anchor tours, school programs, and reenactments, and give Fort Madison a front door to its own history.

We report the totals here as they come in, and we publish where the money goes. Every gift is recorded, every donor counted, and the figure on this page is the figure on our books.

See the plan and give
$2,617,47875%

$2,617,478 raised of $3.5M goal (75% of the way there)

Donors
268
Current phase
Phase 1: Reconstruction, Flood Mitigation and Construction
Updated
October 26, 2026

What's on

Upcoming at the fort

Reenactments, hands-on programs, and community days on the Mississippi riverfront. Also open July 4 from noon to 4 pm after the Charlie Korschgen Parade.

View all events
  • Community

    Fort Madison Beautification Foundation Wine Walk

    When
    November 20, 2026, 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
    Where
    705 Avenue G, Fort Madison

    The Fort Madison Beautification Foundation's annual Wine Walk.

  • Community

    Lighted Holiday Parade

    When
    November 27, 2026, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
    Where
    Main Street and Avenue G, Fort Madison

    Fort Madison's lighted holiday parade through downtown.

  • Community

    Mistletoe on Main Street

    When
    November 28, 2026, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
    Where
    705 Avenue G, Fort Madison

    A holiday shopping and community celebration on Main Street.

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Ways to get involved

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Email Evan and Hugh

Questions? Call 319-470-3642 or send us a note.