I’d driven, or been driven past, Baldwin, Michigan, for nearly thirty years before I finally decided to stop and have a look at the Lake County Courthouse. I’m glad I did! The neoclassical building stands out as a refreshing port in a sea of Michigan’s mid-century modern courthouses. Even better, it turns out that Lake County has quite a story to tell.
Lake County was established in 1840 but was originally known as Aischum County after a well-known Potawatomi chief1. It took its present name three years later due to the preponderance of small lakes in the area2. The place was governed by Mason, Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, and Ottawa Counties until 1871 when it was finally organized on its own3.
Choosing a county seat was a contentious decision. At first, the village of Chase was given the honor. Officials rented the top floor of a hotel for court purposes until a post office called Hannibal rose to equal prominence. Hannibal was soon renamed Baldwin City.
Chase and Baldwin City both wanted to be named county seat. In 1874, residents from several towns offered $5,000 to build county buildings if the seat would move to Baldwin. Understandably, the people of Chase resisted- namely the sheriff and county clerk, who refused to do business anywhere else. For his part, the treasurer, from Baldwin City, declined to work from Chase4!
Baldwin City’s name was shortened to Baldwin amidst the standoff. In 1875, its officials attempted to move a safe of records from Chase. Unfortunately, the record of what happened next is spotty: the group from Baldwin returned with the safe, but it’s unclear how they got it.
Some claim that the people of Chase buried the safe between the courthouse and that Baldwin officials destroyed the building to retrieve it! Others say the courthouse was simply lifted off its foundation5. The likely story is that the safe had been housed in a lean-to near the courthouse and was too big to remove.
It’s said that half of the Baldwin group tore down the structure to retrieve the safe, while another group stood guard and pushed back against the rioters from Chase. About twenty people were injured in the melee that ensued6.
After Baldwin became the county seat, courts were held in a succession of repurposed buildings. Unfortunately, the village of Luther complicated Baldwin’s status when it offered $6,000 to move the county seat there. Baldwin matched the offer, retained the title, and laid a cornerstone for a proper courthouse in 1886.
Designed by Sidney Osgood, the $10,000 courthouse was completed in 18887. The square, two-story building featured a projecting entryway with a prominent arch along with a small, squat, tower8. The courthouse stood until 1927 when a fire that started at the base of a chimney engulfed the structure. Once it was clear that the building couldn’t be saved, crews began hosing down its vaults to preserve the county’s vital records9.
Officials hired Frank P. Allan & Son to rebuild the courthouse, which was completed in 1928 for $50,000. The building takes the general shape of its predecessor but looks substantially different with the addition of a grand portico supported by six columns. Unpretentious, single-story wings that extend to the east and west sides were not part of the original floor plan.
In 1998, commissioners broke ground on a $6.5 million addition and renovation project that more than doubled the building’s footprint9. Designed by Gove Associates Inc. of Kalamazoo, the modern wing of the courthouse is sympathetic to the building’s original design from certain angles, with a heavy cornice and arched windows. Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures from any of those angles! I later learned that the new construction is most appealing when facing southwest.
The Lake County Courthouse has witnessed much over its history. Although it may not boast the intricate design or opulence of some of Michigan’s grander courthouses, there’s an authenticity in its simplicity that sets it apart- it stands head and shoulders above many of its modern peers across the state! What the Lake County Courthouse lacks in decorative flourishes, it more than makes up for in its enduring presence. I hope it stands for another 138 years.
TL;DR
Lake County (pop. 12,817, 72/83)
Baldwin (pop. 982)
13/83 photographed
Built: 1888/1928/2000
Cost: $10,000/$50,000/$6.5 million
Architect: Frank P. Allan & Son
Style: Classical Revival
Courthouse Square: Shelbyville
Height: 3 stories
Current Use: County courts and offices
Photographed: 4/29/2018
Sources Cited“
1 Cole, M. (1974). Michigan’s Courthouses Old And New. Maurice Cole [Oakland County]. Book.
2 Dawson, G. (1840). Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1840 [Detroit]. Web. Retrieved October 13 2024.
3 Fedynsky, J. (2010). Michigan’s County Courthouses. The University of Michigan Press [Ann Arbor]. book.
4 (See footnote 3).
5 (See footnote 3).
6 Avery, S. (2021, September 23). Looking back 150 years. The Lake County Star [Baldwin]. Web. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
7 Deacon, J. “Lake County”. American Courthouses. 2008. Web. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
8 Courthouse History. Keith Vincent. 2018. Web. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
9 (See footnote 3).
