President James Madison died 176 years ago, but don't be alarmed if you bump into him this week roaming the sidewalks of his namesake university in Harrisonburg, Va.

Sarah M. Everett, a theater major at James Madison University, is a James Madison impersonator who has gained attention for her portrayal of the nation's fourth president. At 5 feet 4 inches tall, and weighing about 100 pounds, she is almost identical in size to the soft-spoken Madison.

This week, on what would have been Madison's 261st birthday, Ms. Everett will don a three-cornered hat, a hand-tailored double-breasted coat with tails, and shoes from the period, and socialize as Madison with her fellow students and campus visitors. She'll also wear a white wig, although Madison displayed his own hair.

"When I'm dressed as Madison, first person, I expect to be treated as Madison," she says. "I never break character at any time when I'm dressed as James Madison, even in class."...