Cass County is named for Lewis Cass, who was a territorial governor and Secretary of War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Van Buren County
S – Elkhart County, Indiana and Saint Joseph County, Indiana
W – Berrien County
Created: October 29, 1829
County Seat:
Edwardsburg 1831
Cassopolis 1831 – present
County Courthouse – Cassopolis
Location: 120 North Broadway / East State Street
Built: 1898 – 1899
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Rush, Bowman & Rush
Contractor: James Rowson and A W Mohnke
Description: The building faces west and is a two story wood frame with limestone veneer and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Cassopolis. The west front has a large arch at the central entrance with three narrow vertical windows on the second story. The north and south section project from the main building. On the center of the roof is a high square clock tower with steep red colored peaked roof. A three story wing was added on the north side in 1976. The building was renovated in 2022 to 2024 with architect Plaza Corp and Intersect Studio and contractor Elite Companies. The building is now the Administration Building.
County Law and Courts Building – Cassopolis
Location: 60296 Highway 62 / Don Home Park Road
Built: 2002 – 2003
Style: Modern
Architect: Troyer Group
Contractor: Miller-Davis Company
Description: The building faces north and is a one story structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds on the northwest side of the center of Cassopolis. The brown colored structure has a recessed center section with projecting entrance tower. On either side are projecting wings. The roof is hipped. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 43rd Judicial District, County District Court and County Probate Court.
History: The county was created in 1829 and Edwardsburg was selected as the county seat in 1831. The court met at the home of Erza Beardsley. The first county building was a log jail built by Eber Root and John Flewwelling in 1834 at a cost of $350. The county seat moved to Cassopolis the same year. The first courthouse was built in 1835. The second courthouse was a two story structure built by Joseph Harper in 1841 at a cost of $12,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1898 to 1899 at a cost of $60,000. In 2003 the Law and Courts Building was constructed at a cost of $130,000. The courthouse was renovated in 2022 to 2024 at a cost of $9,600,000.
See: Michigan’s County Courthouses by John Fedynsky
County Courthouse – Cassopolis
Photos taken 2008
Images 8