Indiana has its share of pre-Civil War courthouses. Some are still in use, but the ones that really stand out to me are those left abandoned or in ruins. That’s why discovering the Eaton County Courthouse in Charlotte, Michigan, was such a thrill. Built in 1846, the beautiful building is still standing strong. It’s hard to believe how much history is wrapped up in its walls!
Before there could be an Eaton County Courthouse, there had to be an Eaton County, of course. Michigan’s was organized in 1837. Like nine others in the southern part of the state, it was named after a member of President Andrew Jackson’s cabinet. In this case, its namesake was John Eaton, Jackson’s Secretary of War1. Imagine a Blinken or Buttigieg County today! People would riot.
A surveyor named George Barnes purchased land near the center of the provincial county in 1832 and attempted to designate his homestead as its seat. The effort was ultimately successful, but he sold his land to Edmond Bostwick three years later. Bostwick eventually transferred parts of the property to H.I. Lawrence, Townsend Harris, and Francis Cochran.
The trio established a village, Charlotte, which they named after Bostwick’s wife2. Although the community had been designated county seat when it was organized in 1837, it wasn’t until 1840 that county functions were moved to town from nearby Bellevue3.
Eaton’s first courts were held in the Eagle Hotel until the county accepted a proposal to build a new courthouse in 1844. Officials set aside $500 to erect a Greek Revival structure, but the frame building cost nearly twice as much when it was completed two years later4! The courthouse featured a courtroom that measured twenty-four by forty-two feet with an arched plaster ceiling. Wings were later added to expand the space for jury deliberations.
Initially, commissioners were hesitant to accept a bell offered by an Ohio businessman with ties to the area. They worried most county residents lived too far to hear it! However, after a local newspaper editor intervened, officials reluctantly agreed and built a belfry to house the bell5.
Unfortunately, Eaton County’s first purpose-built courthouse was only used for twenty-one years before it was declared unsafe. Officials decamped to Sampson Hall, a new brick building that later served as an opera house, until 1886. That year, a monumental, $71,000 courthouse was completed by architect David Gibbs6. The first courthouse was moved from Charlotte’s square in 1872 after the town’s Methodist Episcopal Church purchased the structure7. After the church was through with it, the building served a variety of uses. It was a school, a library, a carriage house8, and even a garage9!
Eventually, the old courthouse was moved to Bennett Park, just south of downtown Charlotte. There, it was rehabilitated and renovated to its 1850s appearance by Historic Charlotte, Incorporated. Today, the pristine old building is available to rent as an event center10.
The 1886 Eaton County Courthouse served until 1976 when officials built a sprawling, modern structure officially known as the Eaton County Courthouse and Administrative Offices. I didn’t stop at the modern building, but it turns out that the county is the only one of Michigan’s eighty-eight that features three extant courthouses11!
Next time I’m in the area, I’ll be sure to visit the new courthouse. But honestly, for me, nothing beats the charm and history of Eaton County’s 1846 and 1886 courthouses. Their preservation alone is a testament to the area’s commitment to honoring its past. They’re far more than just architectural landmarks. Each brick and beam is a connection to the generations who came before us. For history buffs like me, that’s priceless.
Sources Cited
1 Bibliography on Eaton County (n.d.). Clarke Historical Library. Central Michigan University [Mt. Pleasant]. Web. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
2 Romig, W. (1986). Michigan Place Names. Wayne State University Press [Detroit]. Book.
3 Cole, M. (1974). Michigan’s Courthouses Old And New. Maurice Cole [Oakland County]. Book.
4 Fedynsky, J. (2010). Michigan’s County Courthouses. The University of Michigan Press [Ann Arbor]. book.
5 (See footnote 4).
6 (See footnote 4).
7 1845 Eaton County Courthouse (1992). Registered Michigan Historic Site. Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State [Lansing]. Historical marker.
8 (See footnote 4).
9 (See footnote 3).
10 Charlotte History (n.d.). Charlotte History [Charlotte]. Web. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
11 (See footnote 10).
I love the simplicity of midwestern buildings from that period.