Built 1893-94 NRHP Reference # 88000602 | Architect Sidney J. Osgood Added to NRHP February 24, 1988 | |
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Location 300 E. Ludingon Avenue
Ludington, Michigan Architectural style Richardsonian Romanesque | ||
The Mason County Courthouse is in Mason County, Michigan. It is in the town of Ludington in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
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History
The area early in its history attracted several lumbermen because of the abundance of white pine timber. Among these early settlers in the area were Burr Caswell, Charles Mears, James Ludington, and Eber Brock Ward. The area began settlement when Burr Caswell moved to the area in 1847 from the state of New York. He built a frame house from driftwood in 1849. This was the first frame building in Mason County and is still at White Pine Village.
The Caswell farmhouse served as the first official county seat and as the first courthouse structure. Caswell moved his family upstairs and turned the first floor of his farmhouse over to Mason County to use for a courthouse and trading post. There was even a jail below the house. The Mason County Historical Society restored Caswell's house and the house is now part of "Historic White Pine Village". There were two additional structures before the final present day fourth structure was built in 1893 to serve as Mason County's courthouse.
Mason County was officially organized in 1855. The official county seat of Mason County and its courthouse was determined to be at Burr Caswell's farmhouse at that time. Prior to then the area was an unofficial settlement in the upper northwestern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The Caswell farmhouse was the county courthouse until 1861. In 1861 the county seat moved to Little Sable (later called Lincoln Village). In 1873 the permanent county seat moved to the town of Pere Marquette in Pere Marquette Township of Mason County. The town name of Pere Marquette was changed to "Ludington" because of its developer James Ludington, a wealthy Milwaukee businessman, and officially incorporated as a city the same year. The 1873 brick courthouse was built at 407 E. Pere Marquette Street. The land was donated by Charles Resseguie.
Present building
The present multi-story building was erected between 1893 and 1894. The tower clock was built by Nels Johnson as one of his Century tower clocks and installed in 1907. The building was designed by the architect Sidney J. Osgood from Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is a Richardsonian Romanesque structure built of Jacobsville sandstone from Houghton County in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The courthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and also as Michigan Registered Site L0404.
Since October 2010 the tower clock has had thirteen strikes of the clock bell at 1 o'clock, day or night.
State Historical Marker
According to a News Release Mason County Courthouse receives State Historical Marker on 18 May 2000 by the Mason County Historical Society, the Director Ronald M. Wood congratulated the Mason County Board of Commissioners for receiving from the Michigan Historical Commission the above historical marker. There was an official dedication and unveiling at 5:30 P.M. on 14 June 2000 on the lawn of the Mason County Courthouse near downtown Ludington, Michigan. It represents that the State of Michigan deems the present Mason County Courthouse worthy of being preserved. This present existing structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites on February 24, 1988. It was placed on the State Register of Historic Sites on August 15, 1975. The existing Mason County Courthouse celebrated its 100th Anniversary on September 18, 1994. The first Mason County Courthouse at White Pine Village received a historical marker in 1986 and appeared on the State Register of Historic Sites on May 17, 1978. The News Release explaining the above is dated 2:34 P.M. of 18 May 2000 from the Historical Society to the Mason County Administrator. The official historical marker that was placed on the premises reads