Huron County is named for Lake Huron which borders the north part of the county, and from the French word “inelles hures” meaning “what heads” referring to the way the Native Americans dressed their hair.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Lake Huron
E – Lake Huron and Ontario, Ontario
S – Sanilac County and Tuscola County
W – Bay County and Arenac County
Created: April 1, 1840
County Seat:
Sand Beach (Harbor Beach) 1859 – 1865
Port Austin 1865 – 1873
Bad Axe 1873 – present
County Courthouse – Bad Axe
Location: 250 East Huron Street / South Heisterman Street
Built: 1966 – 1967
Style: Modern
Architect: Ralph S Gerganoff and Stephen T Gerganoff of Ypsilanti
Contractor: Grange Brothers, Inc.
Description: The building faces south and is a two story buff colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Bad Ax. The building is “L” shaped with a north wing and a west wing. The entrance at the northwest corner has vertical concrete pillars with a glass panel wall behind with entrance on the first story. The windows are vertical with panels between. A wide concrete band follows the flat roof line. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 52nd Judicial District, County District Court and County Probate Court.
See: The architect, Ralph S Gerganoff of Ypsilanti, designed courthouses in Alcona County, Allegan County, Arenac County, Charlevoix County and Washtenaw County. Stephen T Gerganoff designed courthouses in Cheboygan County, Mecosta County and Ogemaw County.
Note: The third courthouse survived a fire on September 5, 1881 which swept through the county. Many people sought safety inside the building.
History: The county was created in 1840 and Sand Beach (Harbor Beach) was selected as the county seat in 1859 when the county was organized. The first court was built in 1859 and was destroyed by fire on June 25, 1864. The county seat was moved to Port Austin in 1865 where the county had the use of a building with no rent payable. The county seat was moved to Bad Axe in 1873. The second courthouse was a wooden frame structure built by Septimus Irwin in 1873 at a cost of $1,878. The third courthouse was a brick structure designed by Fred W Hollister and built in 1875 at a cost of $24,276. An addition was built in 1930. The building was demolished in 1965. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1966 to 1967 at a cost of 1,360,000.
See: Michigan’s County Courthouses by John Fedynsky
County Courthouse – Bad Axe
Photos taken 2008
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