Penokee Iron Range Trail – Historic Iron County Courthouse
Iron County Heritage Area
The Town incorporated Hurley’s rich iron ore mines. The community’s wealth and population were booming. Iron ore from the Penokee Range streamed through Ashland’s port bound for eastern steel mills, providing tax income to replace Ashland County’s rapidly dwindling timber revenues.
After years of political gridlock, Iron County was proclaimed Wisconsin’s 70th county on March 3, 1893, but no provision was made to house the new government. The fledgling Iron County Board was forced to meet in a shack in downtown Hurley.
The unique turreted structure before you was originally built for the Town of Vaughn in 1893. The large arch on the building’s façade opened to the town’s horse drawn fire department. The building’s most distinguishing feature, its massive tower, housed the fire bell and a city clock. The clock tower was considered an extravagance by many of Hurley’s early taxpayers and almost was erased from the architectural plans.
Needing a more dignified seat for the new county government, the Iron County board purchased the building for $32,000 in 1894. It served as the Iron County Courthouse until 1975.
Today it is home to the Iron County Historical Museum and the area’s
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Political Subdivisions. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1863.
Location. 46° 26.878′ N, 90° 10.985′ W. Marker is in Hurley, Wisconsin, in Iron County. It is at the intersection of Iron Street and 3rd Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Iron Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 303 Iron Street, Hurley WI 54534, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Wisconsin’s Copper Country and on the North Shore. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Leon Lawrence Lewis / The Jewish Community of the Gogebic Range (here, next to this marker); Worldwide Daffodil Project (a few steps from this marker); This 5 ½ Foot Diameter Drill Core (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Italians on the Gogebic Iron Range (approx. 0.8 miles away in Michigan); Ironwood City Hall (approx. 0.8 miles away in Michigan); Miners Memorial Heritage Park (approx. one mile away in Michigan); Commemorating the Iron Ore Industry (approx. one mile away in Michigan); Hiawatha (approx. one mile away in Michigan). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hurley.
Also see . . . Iron County Historical Museum website. (Submitted on August 4, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,405 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on August 4, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 2, 2011, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
