Kerrytown in Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Streets Around Courthouse Square
Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 30, 2020
1. The Streets Around Courthouse Square Marker
For over one hundred years the streets surrounding Courthouse Square were a focus for busy Ann Arbor life. Most structures that housed the many businesses and activities around the square are gone. No photo exists of Miss Monroe's primary schoolhouse, a crude log building with small glass windows and split log benches. It stood behind you on the northwest corner of Main and Ann streets from 1825 to 1829, at a time when the square served as town founder John Allen's vegetable patch and members of the Potawatomi tribe traded berries in town.
Mary Foster, Ann Arbor's first female lawyer, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1876 and ranked "high among the profession." It is likely she walked to her work in the new courthouse from her nearby home, which still stands at 324 Catherine St.
The map above shows Courthouse Square in 1908. The numbers on the map indicate the area of interest in each of the seven displays on the wall before you. The shaded buildings are cited and/or pictured in these displays.
The buildings with heavy outlines are featured in the four freestanding exhibit frames.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1825.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Shopping on East Huron Street (here, next to this marker); Commerce on the "Ann Street Block" (here, next to this marker); Main Street in the 1890s (here, next to this marker); A Former Bank and Estate on Ann Street (here, next to this marker); A Meeting Place for Ann Arbor's Black Community (here, next to this marker); The Changing Face of North Fourth Avenue (here, next to this marker); A Corner Landmark on Huron and North Fourth (here, next to this marker); Centers for Communications on Courthouse Square (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ann Arbor.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, August 30, 2020
2. The Streets Around Courthouse Square Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 102 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2021, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
