Mason in Ingham County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ingham County Courthouse

Registered Michigan Historic Site

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 20, 2013

1. Ingham County Courthouse Marker

Inscription. Named for Samuel Ingham, Secretary of the Treasury under Andrew Jackson, Ingham County was organized in 1838. In 1840 Mason became the county seat. The town’s wide public square had been designed as the county's political and business center. The first county offices were on the sides of the square until 1858, when a courthouse was built at this location. The present building, completed in 1904, was described as a "temple of justice." Governor Fred Warner, speaking at the dedication, called it "a meeting place for farmers, mechanics, business and professional men." The courthouse has been the center of Ingham County’s activities throughout the twentieth century. In 1971 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Erected 1972 by State of Michigan. (Marker Number L117.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Industry & Commerce • Political Subdivisions. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #07 Andrew Jackson series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 42° 34.781′ N, 84° 26.575′ W.

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Marker is in Mason, Michigan, in Ingham County. It is at the intersection of South Jefferson Street and Ingham Court, on the right when traveling north on South Jefferson Street. Marker is located beside the walkway leading to the Ingham County Courthouse front (west) entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 South Jefferson Street, Mason MI 48854, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Mid-Michigan

and in Greater Lansing.

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: God Bless America (a few steps from this marker); Honor Roll 1950-1953 (within shouting distance of this marker); Honor Roll 1941-1945 (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Honor Roll 1914-1918 (within shouting distance of this marker); Honor Roll 1957-1972

Ingham County Courthouse Marker • <i>wide view<br>(Courthouse in background)</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 20, 2013

2. Ingham County Courthouse Marker • wide view
(Courthouse in background)

(within shouting distance of this marker); Co. F. 31 Mich. Vol. (within shouting distance of this marker); Mason State Bank (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mason.

Regarding Ingham County Courthouse. National Register of Historic Places #71000397, Michigan Register of Historic Places (1971)

Also see . . .
1. Ingham County Courthouse History. The courthouse has been the scene of many trials in the twentieth century. In January 1905, the first trial in the new courthouse concerned the murder of a White Oak Township farmer. When the new courthouse opened it had offices for twelve people, including personnel of an insurance company and a janitor. (Submitted on November 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Samuel D. Ingham. Samuel D. Ingham, a manufacturer and a long time member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, was appointed Secretary of the Treasury by President Andrew Jackson in 1829. The Second Bank of the United States, viewed by Jackson and much of the Nation as an unconstitutional and dangerous monopoly, was

Ingham County Courthouse Cornerstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 20, 2013

3. Ingham County Courthouse Cornerstone

Ingham's primary concern as Secretary. Jackson mistrusted but all banks. He thought that there should be no currency but coin and that the Constitution was designed to expel paper currency as part of the monetary system. Ingham believed in the Bank and labored to resolve conflicts with Jackson, who wanted it destroyed. (Submitted on November 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form. Excerpt from the nomination form: "The Ingham County Courthouse in Mason, Michigan, has served almost from the date of its construction as a place where trials from more frenetic parts of the state could be moved to ensure fairness and decorum. In this sense, bringing a trial to the Ingham County Courthouse on change of venue has been almost tantamount to taking the trial back in time to an earlier and more pacific era in Michigan jurisprudence." The Statement of Significance details two trials in which the venue was changed to Mason: the 1925 Arthur Rich rape trial (moved from Kalamazoo) and the Algiers Motel murder trial (moved from Detroit). (Submitted on July 29, 2024, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)

Ingham County Courthouse (<i>east side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 20, 2013

4. Ingham County Courthouse (east side)

Ingham County Courthouse (<i>northeast corner</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 20, 2013

5. Ingham County Courthouse (northeast corner)

Ingham County Courthouse (<i>view from near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 20, 2013

6. Ingham County Courthouse (view from near marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 776 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.