Ludington became the Mason county seat in 1873, when county offices were moved from the now-vanished village of Little Sauble. At that time Ludington was the county’s most prosperous settlement. Formerly called Pere Marquette, Ludington was platted in 1867 by Milwaukee lumberman James Ludington. The town served as a shipping center for West Michigan lumber. Erected in 1893-94, this is the fourth structure to serve as Mason County’s courthouse since the county was established in 1855. Grand Rapids architect Sidney J. Osgood designed the Richardsonian Romanesque structure, which was built of Jacobsville sandstone from Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula. The tower clock was built by Nels Johnson as one of his Century tower clocks and installed in 1907. The courthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

I always marvel at the construction of these old brick buildings. I like to stop and get pics of them and I think they are a wonderful representation of a community. I wonder if the people who live near them take there beauty and impressive construction for granted.

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I love the grand old courthouse in Houghton. The historical marker next to it reads:

The opulent High Victorian design of the Houghton County Courthouse testifies to the prosperity that the copper boom brought to the area in the late nineteenth century. The building’s irregular form and polychromatic exterior make it one of Michigan’s most distinctive nineteenth century courthouses. The red sandstone trim and copper roof were products of the Upper Peninsula. The architect, J. B. Sweatt, was from Marquette. Originally from Chicago, Sweatt typified the many architects who worked in Houghton and participated in the building rush that occurred during the copper boom. Dedicated on July 28, 1887, the courthouse replaced a frame structure constructed in 1862.

If you have read the posts on my website for a long time, you probably noticed I take a lot of photos of county courthouses. My hometown of Saginaw had a magnificent Victorian-era courthouse that was torn down about five years before I was born. The city was trying to compete with the urban sprawl and the construction of shopping malls and big chain stores. Like many cities at that time, Saginaw was trying to modernize and demolish its old buildings.  I wished the old courthouse would have been saved. It’s just an empty field now. I think it was one of the most beautiful courthouses in Michigan. You can see a pic of it on my other website HERE. I hope the citizens in counties with old historic courthouses cherish them, and that is why I take a lot of courthouse photos.

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The internet can sometimes be like that friend who tells you things without any regards to your feelings, kinda like Dr. Sheldon Cooper. I  was doing some research on Mio and then I saw it in big bold text on google Oscoda County Courthouse Destroyed by Fire May 6th, 2016. I remember making an image of the old courthouse a few years ago but for some reason, I never got around to posting it.  I guess I can share it with you now. I suppose finding out on google is better than being in the area and stopping by to get a photo finding out that it’s gone, it’s happened to me before.

The old courthouse had a Michigan Historical Marker and here is what was written on it.

When the county government moved from a town called Union Corners to Mio in 1882, temporary offices were set up in a rented building owned by John Randall, one Mio’s founders. For permanent quarters the county supervisors purchased land from Randall in 1885. The county hired Bay City architects Pratt and Koeppe to design a courthouse. In contrast to the elaborate stone and brick courthouses being built at the time, the firm designed this modest wood frame structure, completed in 1889, for Oscoda County. Two wings were added in 1908 to house vaults for the county clerk and treasurer. In 1889 – 90 a courthouse almost identical to this one was built for Arenac County in Omer. That courthouse became a Masonic hall in 1892.

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One of the things I have found on my travels around Michigan, are the many Civil War monuments in some of the cities in the state. I found this one on the Grand Traverse County courthouse lawn in Traverse City.

On May 30, 1890 the Mayor of Traverse City, Perry Hannah, welcomed the Civil War Soldier statue to the grounds of the original courthouse on Cass Street. 4,000 citizens and over 300 Civil War veterans attended the unveiling.  This statues represents the 171 volunteers from the Traverse Area who marched in the War. The sides of the monument lists the major battlefields where the region’s soldiers fought from 1861 to 1865. Thirty-two local men gave their lives in the conflict.

The statue was made by the Chicago Foundry from what they called “White Bronze” but was actually zinc. the term white bronze was used by many monument companies because it sounded better than zinc.  After years of decay, in 2005 the statue was restored and dedicated.  I also did a post last year about some of the granite statues I have found and the interesting story of their origin HERE

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I am never really sure which photos to post and when, but then sometimes there are outside forces at work telling me what to post. When I was traveling thru Sandusky on M46 the other day, the sun was shining on the old courthouse, and it was perfect for a photo with the green grass and blue skies.  Then this morning I saw this story about the Sanilac County Courthouse turning 100 years old, and since I just took a photo of it, I think today is a good day to share that photo.

you can get a print of this pic or any of my images HERE

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