MADISON, Ind. — The National Trust for Historic Preservation is impressed with Madison's old ways.

        The group named the town on Friday to its list of “Distinctive Destinations of America for 2001.”

        “Madison is a community that offers the very best of what American is all about,” said Gary Kozel, spokesman for the National Trust in Washington, D.C. “There's a strong and vibrant downtown. It's a community with character.”

        Madison, population about 13,000, is on the Ohio River in Jefferson County, west of Vevay. Many homes were built before the Civil War in the Georgian, Federal, Regency, Gothic and Italianate styles. A number have been turned into museums.

        All 133 blocks of downtown Madison are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Jeremiah Sullivan House is the only known restored Federal serving kitchen in the nation. The town also features the octagonal Madison Railroad Station, built in the 1840s.

        The National Trust named 12 Distinctive Destinations for the first time last year to help people choose a new place to live or to travel to on vacation. Among the 12 are Beaufort, S.C.; Calisto, Calif.; Red Lodge, Mont.; and Eureka Springs, Ark.

        “I think everybody is really enthused. Our phone has been ringing all day. It was a surprise. We didn't apply for the honor,” said Linda Lytle, director of the Madison Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

        “It's always nice when other people recognize you. It's a small community that is a great place to live. When everybody else was tearing down their historic buildings, we were poor and couldn't afford it. Now, the town is doing well. We have the 1,300 structures on the National Register and three National Landmarks.”

        All 12 destination cities and towns “are managing their growth responsibly and maintain vibrant downtowns,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. “They offer a respite from demands of today's frantic, wired world.”

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