Town file
Madisonville, Kentucky
Madisonville, Kentucky (Hopkins County, Kentucky) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 655, "Murder Of The Queen" (11 December 2025). Madisonville, Kentucky, sits in western Kentucky, about an hour and forty minutes from Nashville, in Hopkins County.
- Town
- Madisonville
- County
- Hopkins County
- State
- Kentucky
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 655
- Approximate location
- 37.341, -87.503
Episode 655 / 11 December 2025 / 180 min / full
Murder Of The Queen
"We are going to Madisonville, Kentucky ... this is in Hopkins County." about 0:05:28
The case: Murder of Ann Branson (January 12, 2003). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2025
- Population
- 19,533 people
- Median age
- 36 and a half
- Median household income
- $46,816
- Median home value
- $132,800
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $810 a month
- Cost of living
- 72
- Religious
- 58%
- Property crime
- ▼ slightly below average
- Violent crime
- ▼ about half
History, in brief
- Madisonville was founded in 1807 and named for James Madison, Secretary of State at the time. about 0:06:59
- It was named the seat of Hopkins County in 1808 and incorporated in 1810. about 0:07:26
- Kentucky was a border state in the Civil War and the town itself was divided; Union supporters joined a regiment recruited by James Shackleford and Al Fowler recruited Confederate groups. about 0:07:57
- Farming was the major business for most of the 1800s, mostly tobacco. about 0:08:21
- Coal was found in 1837 and a coal mine opened in 1869, but mining only became major when the railroad came. about 0:08:29
- The Hustler, originally the Madisonville Hustler, served the town as its newspaper from 1892 to 1912. about 0:08:40
- Manufacturing and service industries arrived in the 1960s and changed the town. about 0:09:08
- On November 15th, 2005, a tornado tore through the city and destroyed much of it, including the home of former Boston Celtic star Frank Ramsey. about 0:09:14
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A very productive, active small town with all sorts of events such as Return to Bethlehem and Octoberfest."about 0:09:56
5 stars
"Excellent at supporting small businesses, with many thriving; the favourite thing is the community of people."about 0:10:04
5 stars
"The reviewer loves the peace of the small town; everyone is friendly and it is nothing like somewhere with too much going on."about 0:10:18
2 stars
"There is nothing to do, it is a very small town in the middle of nowhere, and you have to drive at least an hour for anything."about 0:10:38
2 stars
"Only two McDonalds, two Burger Kings, Wendy's, two Sonics and a few other fast food places; the only bars are Tumbleweed or Applebees."about 0:10:54
1 star
"One of the most corrupt places the reviewer has been: the school board is run by crooks who are friends with the judges, and children are assaulted in schools while teachers cover it up."about 0:11:17
1 star
"A corrupt and twisted town where law enforcement set people up and the task force is awful."about 0:12:29
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Depoy, Kentucky17 miles
- Cadiz, Kentucky37 miles
- Pembroke, Kentucky40 miles
- Tiline, Kentucky42 miles
- Benton, Kentucky58 miles
- Cynthiana, Indiana60 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.