County Courthouse

Lenawee County was first settled in 1824 at Tecumseh, which the territorial legislature subsequently made the county seat. Pioneers, mostly from upper New York State, then established Blissfield and Adrian, the latter called Logan. The largest Indian tribe in the area was the Potawatomi. In 1838 the first state legislature moved the Lenawee seat of justice from Tecumseh to Adrian. The first courthouse in Adrian was built in 1837 but burned in 1852. Immediately purchasing this site, formerly the western terminus of the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, the county erected a temporary courthouse. The Romanesque-style edifice was completed in 1885 and features round-arched entrances and an ornate tower. Its exterior is also adorned with classic reliefs and terra-cotta trim. Since 1885 this impressive structure has been the seat of Lenawee County government.