Monroe County Courthouse - MONROE-OPOLY - Monroe, MI - Monopoly in the Real World on Waymarking.com

Monroe County was established in July, 1817 as one of the first steps in the organization of the Michigan territory after the War of 1812. The old settlement of Frenchtown, which centered upon the square of the present Courthouse, took the name of Monroe and became the County Seat in September 1817.

The original Courthouse was a two-story structure, built of logs and located across the street from the present Courthouse at the current site of the Presbyterian Church. It housed not only the Court, but also the jail and the jailer's quarters, and served as such from 1818 to 1839. A new stone Courthouse was constructed in 1839 on the site of the present Courthouse. It served Monroe County until February 28, 1879 when it was almost destroyed by fire. There still remains, in the County Clerk's Office, some of the partially burned records, and some records dating back to 1856, which are still legible and are used for historical facts. The present courthouse was built in 1880, and there have since been three additions. The first was built in 1954 directly behind the structure along Washington Street. The second was constructed in 1966 along First Street and the most recent was built in 1986 on the site of the former jail.

During the early morning hours of April 13, 1992, an arsonist set fire to the Monroe County Courthouse. Fires were set in four separate locations, with extensive damage to the Probate Court, the Historic Circuit Courtroom, Treasurer's Office and main entrance. The restoration and remodeling took some ten months to complete, at a cost of $930,000.00. The arsonist has yet to be apprehended, despite the offering of a $25,000.00 reward by the County Board of Commissioners for information leading to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the person(s) responsible.

In addition to the County Courthouse, several other buildings have been built or acquired to house County offices. The Johnson-Phinney home was purchased with other adjacent property in 1960 and was then known as the Courthouse Annex. This historic structure was moved in 1977 from its original location next to the Courthouse to the corner of Second and Cass Streets, where it housed the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce for some time. The Stoner-Kemmerling Building, across from the Courthouse, was purchased in 1970, and extensive remodeling of that facility began in late 1988 and was completed in 1989.-Monroe County History

Monroe County Courthouse occupies the blue Park Place property on a regulation Monopoly board.

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