Michigan's County Courthouses

Alpena County

9 alPeNa—the art deco courthouse of alpena County is a milestone of a monolith. It was constructed in such a way that it is quite literally one piece of concrete. Its emergence in the dead of winter proved to the world that such construction could happen in a cold-weather climate. the county and its seat share a name, which according to a number of formulations means “partridge.” early settlers no doubt took advantage of hunting the native partridge or ruffed grouse.earlier,the town was called Fremont in honor of John C. Fremont, the republican candidate for president in 1856. the county had a previous name too: anamickee, for an ojibwa chief whose name means “thunder.” the region is known to this day as thunder bay, and for about five weeks in 1859 the post office in the town of alpena had the same name. In the summer of that year, according to one account, the first “law business” transpired. leonard Jewell arrived by sailboat and illegally sold liquor. he was detained, along with the rudder to keep his anchored craft from leaving. he was brought to justice and fined. officials who allowed him back onto his boat to get the fine money were shocked and befuddled to see him make his escape, navigating with an oar. much to their chagrin, they had no boat to give chase. there was solace in the fact that he never did return. beginning February 7, 1857, alpena County was organized. It was previously attached to mackinac and Cheboygan Counties. the act of organization designated the county seat at the mouth of the thunder bay river, provided that land for county use was donated. George N. Fletcher donated a parcel, but it would not welcome a court for twenty-five years. Court convened from 1858 to 1863 in the upper floor of a building that later was widely known as a grocery store and a garage. the site was variously called the P. m. miller, myers, and Johnson blocks. From 1863 to 1870 the hitchcock Courthouse, named for a local deacon, was the county court. a fence and dense forest surrounded it, giving it the look of a stockade, according to an early observer. It burned down on December 12, 1870, taking with it many county records. the fire happened a half hour after a neighborhood church hosted an oyster supper. the cause was probably a stove placed in the probate judge’s chambers to stew oysters and make coffee. until the early 1880s the court moved from place to place, including the union school and the rooms above the Potters brothers’ hardware store. In 1881 construction began on a more durable brick courthouse. Great debate surrounded whether to locate the building downtown or, as the county eventually decided by popular vote, on the land given by Fletcher that would revert back to private ownership if not used. today, the site is hardly away from downtown as the city has grown considerably. the contract went to samuel boggs and W. h. Phelps. Circuit court moved in on February 13, 1883. the courthouse was mainly brick, with lighter stone for the first few feet above the foundation. It was two stories high with an arched entryway and sloping roofs angling up toward a tower. Wood fences and a turnstile surrounding the building kept cattle off the courthouse lawn. the building met its end in a fire on November 22, 1932. Court moved for a while to the upper floor of the city hall, and county offices relocated to the Fletcher building Alpena County alPeNa CouNty 10 across the street from that building. the county met rigorous standards to apply for and receive a $70,000 loan and a $40,000 grant under the Public Works act, which took some time. Difficulty in obtaining materials created more delay until work finally began in august 1934 with the laying of the cornerstone. the architect was William h. Kuni of Detroit, who also designed alpena’s twin courthouse in Caro, the seat of tuscola County. the general contractor was the henry C. Weber Construction Company of bay City. about 81,500 labor-hours, or one person working eight-hour days for about thirty-four years, went into the art deco courthouse, which was dedicated on october 21, 1935. It was the first monolithic structure in the midwest. the foundation, walls, roof, columns, and floors were made of concrete joined by reinforcing steel bars holding together the...