The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1901-02-22
How the County Seat Came to be
at Paw Paw.

at Paw Paw.
"History tells us that even before the
organization of Van Buren, county, Law
renee was settled on and was afterward
established by law as the legal county
seat South Haven Sentinel.
The True Northerner does not read
history that way, and takes its history
from the official records. Perhaps the
Sentinel has more reliable historian;
it certainly must have different one.
The county of Van Buren, was organ
lied by an act of the legislature passed
in 1887. This act of organization pro-
vided that courts should be held at such
place in said county as the board of SUI
pervisors thereof should designate.
The first meeting of such board was
held couple of months later and the
following is the entire and complete Of
fetal record of sucn meeting;
"The supervisors of the towns of Van
Buren, county met at the village of Paw
Paw on the 9th day of May, A. ID. 1887,
and organized by appointing d. O..
Dodge elk. the business of said meeting
being for locating the place for the cir
cult courts of said county.
"Whereupon it is decided that the
courts of SD county be held at the school
house 10 the village of Paw Paw.
ID. o. DODGE, Clk."
Pursuant to the provisions Of said act
of the legislature and the foregoing reso-
luton of the board of supervisors, the
first circuit court ever held in the county
was held in Paw Paw (the township was
then called Lafayette) in June, 1887.
The following is a verbatim copy of
the record of the opening session of such
court:
Estate of Michigan, ss
Van Buren, County,
"Be it remembered that at a session OF
the circuit court OF the state of Michigan,
within and for the county of Van Buren,
begun and held pursuant to law, at the
court, in Lafayette, in said county, on the
first Monday, being the first day of June,
in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and thirty-seven.
Present Hon. Epaphroditas Ransom,
circuit judge, Wolcott III. Keeler & Jay
II. Monroe, esqr's, associate judges"
In 1888, the board of supervisors au-
thorized and directed the sheriff to build
jail on the site furnished by Paw Paw,
at cost not to exceed S40O. This sum
was subsequently increased to 5000 and
Jail was constructed under the provi-
sions of such resolution.
At the annual meeting Of the board
of supervisors in October, 1885, the fol-
lowing resolution was adopted:
Pursuant to an act entitled an act to
amend the act entitled an act to organize
the county of Ionia and Van Buren, APP
proved March 18th, 1888, ,thesuperyisors of
said county of Van Buren, decided that
the circuit court for said county shall be
held at the school house in the village of
Paw Paw. j.. IL. SIMMONS,
Clerk of the board of supervisors y
The legislature had previously extend
ed the time during which courts should
be held as designated by the board, un-
til January l, 1s40, aud subsequently
passed an act establishing the county
seat at Paw Paw, and at Paw Paw it has
ever since remained. No sessions of the
circuit court were ever held elsewhere,
nor was the county seat of the county
ever located at any other place, at least
as far as appears from the official records
| When the present court house was
built in 1S42, at contract price ol
s2.9O4. exclusive Of the site which was
furnished by citizens of Paw Paw. the
entire population of the county was less
than 1900 souls.
The census OF ls40 gave Van Buren, .
1 population OF 1910 Another censu us
was taken in 1916, at which time the in
Ihabitants Of the county numbered bu'
L. ,704, decrease Of 206 in the five
years
The county business has continued &
to be transacted in this same buildiul