Madisonville is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, both of which were named after President James Madison. The city and county were both created in 1853. The city's first courthouse was constructed the following year out of logs, and a post office was created. The city continued to grow, and in 1903, it received its first railroad; this was supplanted by the creation of paved roads (State Highways 90 and 21, and U.S. 75) in the late 1920s and early 1930s, forcing the railroad to discontinue service in 1944. Although the city began as and continues to be an agricultural trade center, it has diversified in recent years, with industries such as mushroom processing and petroleum production adding to the economy. Madisonville has at least one historic structure, the Woodbine Hotel, which was built in 1904 and restored at least once; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places after being recognized in 1982.