Newaygo County is named for Chief Newaygo, who was a Chippewa Indian chief named “Naw-wa-goo”, or the Native American word “kenewaygoing” meaning “place where boy have fish bone in throat”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Lake County
E – Mecosta County and Montcalm County
S – Kent County, Ottawa County and Muskegan County
W – Muskegan County and Oceana County
Created: March 31, 1856 
County Seat:
Newaygo 1856 – 1910
White Cloud 1910 – present
County Courthouse – White Cloud
Location: 1092 Newell Street / William Street
Built: 1991 – 1992
Style: Modern
Architect: Manyam and Associates Inc.
Contractor: DeVere Construction Company Inc.
Description: The building faces north and is a one story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of White Cloud.. The building has the entrance in the center and facing east. On the north front is a horizontal row of windows on the east side. The west side extends north and has few windows. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 27th Judicial District. An addition was added in 2001 and completed in 2002. The architect was GSG Architects Inc. of Muskegon and the contractor was VanDonkelaar Construction Inc. of Muskegon.
County Administration Building – White Cloud
Location: 1087 Newell Street / William Street
Built: 1979 – 1980
Style: Modern
Architect: Daniels & Zermack Associates
Contractor: Lakewood Construction Company
Description: The building faces south and is a one story red colored brick, concrete and glass building. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of White Cloud on the north side of the courthouse. The building has a large red colored roofed portico at the central entrance. The east side is buff colored brick with a red colored roof. The building houses the County District Court and County Probate Court. The west side is light pink colored brick and this addition was added in 2001 and completed in 2002. The architect was GSG Architects Inc. of Muskegon and the contractor was VanDonkelaar Construction Inc. of Muskegon.
See: The 27th Judicial District includes Oceana County.
History: The county was created in 1856 and Newaygo was selected as the county seat. In 1855 a small clerk’s office was erected by P C Spooner at a cost of $250 and the county rented space in the Alverson Hotel. The first courthouse was a two story brick structure constructed of local materials in 1868. The building was late razed in 1937. In 1910, the courthouse occupied the White Cloud City Hall which was constructed by Jacobson Construction in 1908 and converted into the second courthouse. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1991 to 1992 at a cost of $2,000,000.
See: Michigan’s County Courthouses by John Fedynsky
County Courthouse – White Cloud
County Administration Building – White Cloud
Photos taken 2008 and 2015