Michigan has eighty-three counties, and many have historic courthouses. Nevertheless, the state’s home to far more modern examples than can be found in neighboring Indiana and Ohio. The Osceola County Courthouse in Reed City is one of them, but hints of its original structure can still be found.
Osceola County is about an hour north of Grand Rapids. I drive through it when I head up north to the property! Although it was established in 1840 as Unwattin County, its name was changed in 1843. Before Osceola became its own county, Mason, Newaygo, and Mecosta Counties administered the area1.
Osceola County was finally established in 1869 after the lumber industry grew. The village of Hersey served as the county seat thanks to a prominent timber camp that supplied the Muskegon Lumber Yards2, and officials completed a courthouse and jail in 1873. Unfortunately, the lumber industry in Hersey didn’t last long. By 1884, the towns of Evart and Reed City eclipsed it in size3.
Fewer than 300 people lived in Hersey in 1920. The town was floundering- its jail was condemned, and there weren’t enough overnight accommodations for visitors4. Meanwhile, Reed City boasted a population of 1,800 people, and Evart wasn’t far behind.
Boosters in Reed City claimed to have enough votes to wrest the county seat title away. They developed plans to build a new jail, a residence for the sheriff, and remodel the city hall into a new courthouse. For their part, officials in Evart were content with the status quo: they wanted the courthouse too, but wanted it to stay in Hersey until their town could be developed into a worthy successor5. In 1927, the issue came before the Michigan Supreme Court.
Despite questions about the lawfulness of the hinged ballot box used in the remonstrance, the court found in favor of Reed City. In 1927, it was named the new seat of Osceola County6. Unsurprisingly, the move that led to hard feelings between the two communities that lasted decades7.
Just like it was planned, the City Hall in Reed City was used as the county’s second courthouse. First built in 1884, it may have originated as a private residence8. As the courthouse, the two-story brick building with arched windows and a four-story corner tower9 opened for business on September 12, 192710.
Unfortunately, the building proved too small after just a decade. Officials hired architect Roger Allen to design a substantial addition to the building’s front. With the help of WPA funding, the expansion -large enough, probably, to be considered a brand-new building- was completed in 193811.
The new courthouse was a brick and concrete structure devoid of most ornamentation. Vertical concrete pillars framed its primary entrance and terminated in a horizontal band at the building’s roofline. A solitary lantern hung within its lobby.
In 1960, the courthouse received a single-bay, one-story addition to its west side. Eight years later, it was expanded asymmetrically to the east. Today, it’s hard to find parts of the old city hall! From the front, a pair of arched windows are all that remains of the original structure.
The expanded building was adequate up until the 1970s. Reed City was home to about 2,300 people at the dawn of the decade, Evart housed 1,700, and fewer than three hundred people called Hersey home. Osceola County was far from a metropolis, but the courthouse was overcrowded! Officials bought an old hospital in downtown Reed City to accommodate their needs. In 1978, they agreed to let residents vote on a plan to build a new courthouse in Evart12. The vote failed.
It was clear that the courthouses needed more help by 1998. To that end, officials agreed to a $1.9 million renovation to modernize the aging structure and expand it to the southeast. On June 30th, the building collapsed as crews were digging nearby! No one was injured, but employees were told to evacuate the building after a wall buckled13.
The newest wing of the Osceola County Courthouse blends in and pays tribute to each era of the hodge-podge construction. The building’s most prominent feature is its arched entryway, which is recessed into a projection that resembles the old courthouse’s clock tower. Rounded windows continue the theme on the first story, while rectangular ones on the second floor reflect the building’s modern expansions.
I tip my hat to the architects who managed to tie each part of the building together through its newest wing. Although the Osceola County Courthouse won’t win any awards for Michigan’s most picturesque, architectural remnants from its earliest days as Reed City’s City Hall are still apparent. They’re fun to point out!
TL;DR
Osceola County (pop. 15,130, 61/83)
Reed City (pop. 2,500)
12/83 photographed
Built: 1884/1938
Cost: Unknown
Architect: Roger Allen
Style: Modern
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville Square
Height: 2 stories
Current Use: County offices and courts
Photographed: 4/29/2018
Sources Cited
1 Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (n.d.). Dr. William M. Scholl Center for American History and Culture. The Newberry Library. Web. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
2 Jensen, L. (2015, June 1). Portals to the Past: Muskegon. Michigan Blue Magazine [Grand Rapids]. Web. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
3 Portrait and Biographical Album of Osceola County (1884). Chapman Brothers [Chicago]. Book.
4 County Seat Fight Answer Is Filed (1927, July 6). The Detroit Free Press. p. 2.
5 Fight On For County Seat (1926, January 29). The Saint Joseph Herald-Press. p. 10.
6 Court Holds Reed City Osceola’s County Seat (1927, July 30). The Lansing State Journal. p. 17.
7 Osceola County seat may be moved again (1978, June 14). The Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 16.
8 Vincent, K. (2018). Cou89rthouse History. Web. Retrieved 10/18/2023.
9 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Reed City, Osceola County, Michigan (1908) Sanborn Map Company. Map.
10 New Osceola County Court House Opens (1927, September 11). The Detroit Free Press. p. 14.
11 Deacon, J. (n.d.). Osceola County. American Courthouses: a photo archive by John Deacon. Web. Retrieved 10/17/2023.
12 (See footnote 7).
13 Courthouse falls in during mixup (1998, July 1). The Benton Harbor Herald-Palladium. p. 4.