Forest County is named for the dense forest that covered the county.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Iron County, Michigan
E – Florence County and Marinette County
S – Oconto County and Langlade County
W – Oneida County and Vilas County
Created: April 11, 1885 
County Seat:
Crandon 1885 – present
County Courthouse – Crandon
Location: 200 East Madison Street / North Lake Avenue
Built: 1909 – 1912
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: Fremont D Orff
Contractor: W H Fraley
Description: The building faces west and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Crandon. On the center of the roof is a square red colored brick cupola with white colored wood top and red colored roof. The building has Kasota Stone tiling. The center portion of the building projects from the main building. White colored trim is around the roof line. In the interior is a central octagonal shaped rotunda rising into the tower. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the east side of the third story. There is a small courtroom at the southwest side of the third story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 9th Judicial Circuit. The superintendent was Gus Horn. On the south side is a modern brick annex built in 1966. A one story annex was constructed on the north side in 1978 and contains the Commissioners Meeting Room. The Law Enforcement Center was built on the south side in 1997 and the jail built in 1910 is on the southeast side.
See: The 9th Judicial District includes Florence County, Iron County, Langlade County, Lincoln County, Marathon County, Menominee County, Oneida County, Portage County, Price County, Shawano County, Taylor County, Vilas County and Wood County.
History: The county was created in 1885 and Crandon was selected as the county seat in 1885. Ayr was the first settlement and later became Crandon, Samuel Shaw erected a building to rent to the county. Later the building was occupied by Pooler’s barber shop. The County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence was built in 1910 at a cost of $25,000. The first and present courthouse was constructed in 1909 to 1912.
County Courthouse – Crandon
County Circuit Court courtroom
Small courtro\om
Commissioner’s Meeting Room
Photos taken 2007, 2010 and 2022