Cheboygan County - American Courthouses

Cheboygan County is named for the Cheboygan River, which is named after the Ojibwe word “zhaabonigan” meaning “sewing needle” or from “chabwegan” meaning “a place of ore”.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Mackinac County

E – Presque Isle County

S – Montmorency County and Otsego County

W – Charlevoix County and Emmet County

Created: April 1, 1840

County Seat:

Duncan City 1853 – 1860

Inverness Township 1860 – 1898

Cheboygan 1898 – present

County Courthouse – Cheboygan

Location: 870 South Main Street / Franklin Street

Built: 1967 – 1969

Style: Modern

Architect: Stephen T Gerganoff of Ypsilanti

Contractor: Davidson & Son Builders Inc.

Description: The building faces east and is a two story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the south of the center of Cheboygan. The front section has the entrance at the southeast corner with an overhang supported by concrete pillars. The entrance is recessed. Glass windows run across the front of the building with stone facing on the second story above and below the windows. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 53rd Judicial District, County District Court and County Probate Court.

See: The architect, Stephen T Gerganoff, designed courthouses in Mecosta County and Ogemaw County, and with Ralph S Gerganoff of Ypsilanti in Huron County.

Old County Courthouse – Cheboygan

Location: 229 Court Street / South Huron Street

Built: 1869

Style: Federal

Architect: James F Watson

Contractor: James F Watson

Description: The building faces north and is a white colored wood structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Cheboygan to the north of the courthouse. The building has a central entrance on the north front. The roof is hipped. At the peak of the roof on the north side is a square white colored wood cupola. The former courtroom was located on the second story. This was the second courthouse and was known as the Fifth Ward Hose House. Across the street is the old red colored brick Jail which houses a museum.

See: The 53rd Judicial District includes Presque Isle County.

History: The county was created in 1840 and Duncan City was selected as the county seat in 1853 when the county was organized. The first courthouse was a simple wood structure used from 1853 to 1869. The county seat was moved to Inverness Township which encompassed the town of Cheboygan in 1860 and the county occupied a small building at Main Street and State Street. The first courthouse was used until the second courthouse, a wooden two story structure was built by James Watson in 1869 at a cost of $3,000 and is still standing. In 1898, the county seat was moved to Cheboygan where it already was located. The third courthouse was a two story stone and red colored brick structure designed by Rush, Bowman and Rush and constructed by Cheboygan Manufacturing Company in 1898 to 1900 at a cost of $35,000. The courthouse was located at Main Street and Court Street which was close to the former second courthouse. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1967 to 1969.

See: Michigan’s County Courthouses by John Fedynsky