Van Buren County / Van Buren County Courthouse

Settlers drawn by lumbering came to Van Buren County in the 1830s, and by the 1860s its mild climate, rich soil, and easy access to Chicago markets had created a thriving fruit industry. The county was one of thirteen platted by the territorial legislature in 1829 and one of six named for members of Andrew Jackson's cabinet. A gubernatorial commission chose Lawrence as the seat of government, but when the county was set off in 1837, the board of supervisors chose Paw Paw. When the board decided to build a new courthouse in 1900, it considered moving the county seat, and South Haven, Lawrence, and Hartford all competed for the designation. In a county-wide election on April 1, 1901, citizens voted to keep the county seat in Paw Paw. County officials had occupied the first courthouse, now Paw Paw City Hall, in 1845. On September 2, 1901, Frank O. Gilbert, Grand Master of the Free and Accepted Masons, laid the cornerstone for the present courthouse as members of the Grand Army of the Republic and fraternal organizations marched through town in celebration, with the Paw Paw True Northerner estimating that between 8,000 and 10,000 people attended. The monumental Classical Revival courthouse, designed by Jackson architect Claire Allen, was dedicated on February 23, 1903. The Sheldon and Oradell Rupert memorial clock was installed in the tower in 1986, and both of Van Buren County's courthouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Paw Paw, Michigan · United States