Howell in Livingston County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
County Courthouse
Registered Michigan Historic Site
Photographed by Joel Seewald, August 26, 2017
1. County Courthouse Marker
Erected 1978 by Michigan History Division, Department of State. (Marker Number L391.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 42° 36.433′ N, 83° 55.678′ W. Marker is in Howell, Michigan, in Livingston County. It is at the intersection of East Grand River Avenue (Business Interstate 96) and North State Street, on the right when traveling west on East Grand River Avenue. Touch for map.
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Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan and in Greater Detroit. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Livingston County WWI Honor Roll (within shouting distance of this marker); Livingston County Veterans Honor Roll (within shouting distance of this marker); National Hotel (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Livingston County Press (about 500 feet away); Opera House (about 700 feet away); Ann Arbor Railroad (approx. 0.2 miles away); Livingston Co. Civil War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Howell Carnegie Library (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Howell.
Also see . . . Livingston County Courthouse. The Livingston County Courthouse was placed
Photographed by Joel Seewald, August 26, 2017
2. County Courthouse Marker
Marker is on the southeast corner of the building.
The Livingston County Courthouse is architecturally significant as a representative late-nineteenth-century building. It is not as elegant in its design or appointments as many other public facilities of the period, nor is it as function-oriented as structures of the immediately subsequent era. The building has also served as a visual and social anchor in Howell since its construction as well as the county's political center. The recent campaign to save the structure was the first major preservation effort in Livingston County....(Submitted on July 28, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
The origins of the present building date to the early 1880s, when county officials realized that the existing courthouse, though relatively new, was inadequate to the county's needs. Office space in nearby stores had been rented and prisoners were housed at the county jail in neighboring Shiawassee County. The Board of Commissioners formed a building committee, which considered the deficiencies of the existing building and also visited newer courthouses in other counties. The committee's recommendation fora new facility on courthouse square was approved by voters in April, 1889, and in June of that year Albert E. French, a Detroit architect, was engaged to design it. In August the cornerstone was laid in a ceremony led by former Governor Russell A. Alger. The building was completed for use the next year, and has housed county offices ever since.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 467 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
