Shiawassee County

In 1840, Alexander McArthur's Shiawassee County Seat Company, donated a block of land 300 feet square to Shiawassee County for a public square and for county offices.

Until the first court house was completed in Corunna in 1839, the body politic met at the Old Exchange, at Shiawasseetown, at Corunna and Newburg.

In 1843, the 20' X 36' court house, constructed on the Square in Corunna by Stephen Hawkins for $345.00, proved to be too small from the beginning, and rooms had to be rented for the courts.

A brick court house was built in 1851 at a cost of $4,500.00 and with two additions including a jail. This building served well for 50 years, however more space was needed.

In 1883, a new jail was built.

In 1903, the county voted to erect a new court house. Clare Allen was the architect. The building cost was estimated to cost $75,000.

The above photos were taken before the clock was installed in 1910. Notice the old Sheriff's House and Jail, on the right, which was torn down in the early 1960's.

The Court House corner stone laying was held on May 4, 1904, according to the forms and customs of the ancient craft of the Free and Accepted Masons. Hugh McCurdy gave a masterful oration. The ceremony was witnessed by thousands of people. It was finished by 1906 and it was not until about 1910 that the clock and bell was added. The clock is an E. Howard & Co. round-top style, running 4 six foot dials.

The building is in the French renaissance design, somewhat Americanized, the exterior is faced with Berea stone, the portico has stone columns, 3'6" in diameter, height of 39 feet. The portico floor and ceiling are of stone. The tower is of stone, height from grade to top is 122 feet.

The cornice is made of copper and the roof of terra cotta tile. The exterior is richly decorated with stone carvings and mouldings. The building is 116 X 86 feet and the halls and rotundas are wainscoted with marble. All of the stairs are of marble and the floors are ceramic tile.

The court room and supervisors room is wainscoted with quartered white oak and the ceilings have ornamental plastering.

There has always been speculation whether or not the courthouse was paid for. One of the wealthier citizens of Corunna loaned money for the courthouse until a bond issue could be voted on. There were no signed papers and neither the citizen or his heirs were able to collect. The matter was settled by higher courts and the loan was considered a "gentleman's agreement." It was decided through legal channels and the Shiawassee County Courthouse belongs to the people of Shiawassee County.

There was a flag pole mounted on the top of the tower and small doorway allows access to the base of the pole from the outside. To get to the doorway is no small feat, as you had to climb a narrow ladder, high above the clock room. Sometime in the 1920's the rope broke which ran up through a pulley at the top of the flag pole. This would call for a very special person who dared to shinny up a flag pole. As luck would have it, the circus came to town and one of the acrobats, who thought it would be good publicity, threaded the rope back through the pulley, as the whole town watched.

Asa Elkins remembered as a boy in the 1920,s, standing on the northwest corner of Shiawassee St. and Corunna Ave., during a thunderstorm, watching a bolt of lightning strike the flag pole, blowing it to pieces. It was never replaced.

The GAR held there meetings in the basement of this building until the mid 1940's. Some old-timers remember large murals painted on the walls depicting battle scenes.

In the early 1970's, there was talk of tearing down the building, however, it would cost $75,000 to do the demolition work. In the 1980's, a study showed that the old court house was more energy efficent than the 1969 annex building.

The courthouse was completely refurbished under the leadership of George Hoddy. Many others worked on several committees and $2,000,000 was raised for the needed repairs.

The Court House is the undisputed 'GEM' of Shiawassee County. Not only worth millions of dollars, but it is used daily by hundreds of people and it quietly reminds us of time we have left, as it tolls the hours of the day.