Madisonville was founded in 1800 as the
town of Cocquille at the site of the Native
American village of Chiconcte. In 1810 it
was renamed in honor of President of the
United States James Madison.
 It
was an important port providing bricks and
other products of the towns along the
Tchefuncte to New Orleans in the decades
before the American Civil War.
After the Union capture of New Orleans,
this area remained under nominal Confederate
control, and the cut off of trade with New
Orleans across "enemy lines" was devastating
to the local economy, which did not recover
for decades after the peace.
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