Iron County is named for the large deposits of iron in the county.
Created: April 3, 1885
County Seat:
Iron River 1885 – 1889
Crystal Falls 1889 – present
County Courthouse – Crystal Falls
Location: 2 South 6th Street / Superior Avenue
Built: 1890 – 1891
Style: Richardsonian Romanesque Revival
Architect: J C Clancy of Wisconsin
Contractor: Louis A Webber
Description: The building faces east and is a three story buff colored brick and granite structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds and has a large arch with recessed doorway on the first story. Above the arch are six narrow vertical windows. At the roof line is a large white colored statue of “Law, Mercy and Justice”. On the northeast corner is a high square brick clock tower with an octagonal top containing the clock. On the southeast corner is a smaller round brick tower. The second floor courtroom has an octagonal ceiling of decorative pressed metal and a large chandelier with muses and dragons. A wing was added in 1955. The architect was Pero Brandy and the contractor was Cloverland Contracting Company.The building was renovated in 2003 to 2004 when a new wing was constructed.
Note: The cost of construction of the courthouse was $40,000.
See: Michigan’s County Courthouses by John Fedynsky
Courthouses:
N – Houghton County and Baraga County
E – Marquette County and Dickinson County
S – Florence County, Wisconsin, Forest County, Wisconsin and Vilas County, Wisconsin
W – Gogebic County and Ontonagon County
Photos taken 2007 and 2015