Emmet County is named for Robert Emmet, who was an Irish patriot who was hanged as a traitor to the British government at the age of 23 years.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Mackinac County
E – Cheboygan County
W – Charlevoix County and Lake Michigan
Created: April 1, 1840 
County Seat:
Mackinaw City 1853 – 1857
Harbor Springs 1857 – 1858
Mackinaw City 1858 – 1868
Charlevoix 1868 – 1869
Harbor Springs 1869 – 1902
Petoskey 1902 – present
County Courthouse – Petoskey
Location: 200 Division Street / Lake Street
Built: 1964 – 1966
Style: Modern
Architect: Warren Holmes of Lansing
Contractor: Omega Construction Company Inc. of Grandville
Description: The building faces east and is a two story brown colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Petoskey and descends down the hill on the west side. The northeast section is two stories with narrow vertical windows. The south section is one story with the main entrance at the north end. The southwest section runs down the hill and has curved glass windows. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 57th Judicial District, County District Court and County Probate Court. The building was first used by the county and city and then transferred to the county. The building was renovated in 1990. In 2005, a new wing was added to provide courtrooms and a jail.
See: The contractor, Omega Construction Company Inc.of Grandville, constructed courthouses in Antrim County, Luce County and Schoolcraft County.
Old County Courthouse – Harbor Springs
Location: 349 East Main Street / Judd Street
Built: 1885 – 1886
Style: Classical
Architect: Earl H Mead and Charles W Caskey
Contractor: Charles W Caskey
Description: The building faces south and is a two story wood frame structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Harbor Springs. The south front has a central projecting tower with arched entrance on the first story and rising three stories to a steep roof. The roof is hipped. The building was constructed for use by the county and as the Harbor Springs City Hall. The building now houses the Historical Society and a museum.
History: The county was created in 1840 as Tonedagana County. The name was changed in 1843 to Emmet County and Mackinaw City was selected as the county seat in 1853 when the county was organized. In 1857, the county seat was moved to Harbor Springs (Little Traverse) in 1857 and back to Mackinaw City in 1858. In 1868, the county seat was moved to Charlevoix and back to Harbor Springs in 1869. The county used rented premises until the first courthouse, a two story wood structure was built in 1885 to 1886 at a cost of $4,000 and is still standing. In 1902, the county seat was moved to Petoskey. The second courthouse was constructed in 1901 at a cost of $40,000. The building was razed in 1968 and the clock was placed in a steel tower at the harbor in 1996. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1964 to 1966 as the City-County Building.
See: Michigan’s County Courthouses by John Fedynsky
County Courthouse - Petoskey
Fort Milimackinac – Mackinaw City
Photos taken 2008