History
The area early in its history attracted several lumbermen because of the abundance of white pine timber. Among these early settlers in the area were Burr Caswell, Charles Mears, James Ludington, and Eber Brock Ward. The area began settlement when Burr Caswell moved to the area in 1847 from the state of New York. He built a frame house from driftwood in 1849. This was the first frame building in Mason County and is still at White Pine Village.
The Caswell farmhouse served as the first official county seat and as the first courthouse structure. Caswell moved his family upstairs and turned the first floor of his farmhouse over to Mason County to use for a courthouse and trading post. There was even a jail below the house. The Mason County Historical Society restored Caswell's house and the house is now part of "Historic White Pine Village". There were two additional structures before the final present day fourth structure was built in 1893 to serve as Mason County's courthouse.
Mason County was officially organized in 1855. The official county seat of Mason County and its courthouse was determined to be at Burr Caswell's farmhouse at that time. Prior to then the area was an unofficial settlement in the upper northwestern part of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The Caswell farmhouse was the county courthouse until 1861. In 1861 the county seat moved to Little Sable (later called Lincoln Village). In 1873 the permanent county seat moved to the town of Pere Marquette in Pere Marquette Township of Mason County. The town name of Pere Marquette was changed to "Ludington" because of its developer James Ludington, a wealthy Milwaukee businessman, and officially incorporated as a city the same year. The 1873 brick courthouse was built at 407 E. Pere Marquette Street. The land was donated by Charles Resseguie.
Read more about this topic: Mason County Courthouse (Michigan)
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