Community celebrates 100th anniversary of historic Midland County Courthouse

Just because walls can’t talk doesn’t mean buildings don’t have stories to tell. Locally, one of those iconic landmarks is the historic Midland County Courthouse. As the community prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the architecturally significant buildings, a recent issue of The Midland County Log was released. 

Its release is also in conjunction with two other key milestones in 2025: the 17th anniversary of Midland County’s first judge, Samuel Gaskill, and the centennial of the building’s first official use.

The issue, “A History of the Midland County Courthouse: The Art of a Developing Community,” was written by Midland County Historical Society council member Ken Randall. The former courthouse employee, alongside about 10 other volunteer authors and editors, spent hours of time researching history to share important perspectives. 

“There was a Midland Log for many years, but it was informal. It wasn’t footnoted or anything, but it still had historical importance because it recorded events that went on in people’s memories,” Randall says. “It died out around 2012 when it stopped getting published, and we revamped it in the fall of 2023. We completely upgraded what it is. Today, it’s a real publication, it’s footnoted, it’s well researched, and thousands of hours go into this.”

For Randall’s issue, the log goes back to the original 1858 Ford House, telling the story of the development of Midland County through the murals that are painted at our current courthouse. 

“The artwork is quite famous, and it was actually a national tourist attraction for a while. It was highlighted in Popular Mechanics magazine in March 1926,” he says. “We have quite a history here. The first mural is of Native Americans, the second mural is of white settlement, followed by the lumber era, agriculture, and then there’s a mural of Herbert Dow and the industrialization of this area.”

Spending an estimated 1,000 hours of research and recollection on this project has been enjoyable for Randall, who is a big fan of the Courthouse building itself. 

“As soon as I came up to Midland the first time, and saw the courthouse, my jaw just dropped,” he says. “I thought it was so beautiful, inviting, and unlike any courthouse I’d ever seen. It really is an important building.”

Randall says the amount of notable people who have stepped foot and even designed the floors of the building is impressive.

“Herbert Dow basically was responsible for the art, floors, and design of the building,” Randall says. “He definitely had a plan of what he thought Midland could have as a statement, from the building as an architectural standpoint, but also from the artwork. He was a lover of art and hired different artists from different countries.”

Jake Huss is the historical programs and exhibits manager at the Midland Center for the Arts, working with the Midland County Historical Society. The Advisory Council works with exhibits, programming, presentations, tours, and The Midland Log. 

One of the things Huss appreciates about his role is getting to meet community members on historic street tours. 

“Folks like Ken and I think we know a lot of history, but we get to chat with these folks. They really know their home, they know the people who lived there, they care about it and upkeep it,” Huss says. “The wonderful thing about Midland is that oftentimes, the right people have come in to understand the importance of the history and save it. Just like Ken saving the history of the courthouse with this book.”

The revamped bi-annual publication has already received recognition and accolades, too. During a conference in Alpena, the Midland Log was recognized by the Historical Society of Michigan as a 2025 State History Award winner, under the Communications: Printed Periodicals section. So far, there have been four issues, with topics ranging from the Tittabawassee Boom Company to Midland’s prohibition years. 

The Midland Center for the Arts is also preparing to host a special event to celebrate The Midland Log, most likely in February. 

“Details will be coming later on,” Huss says. “We just want to celebrate all the hard work that the two authors of this year’s logs, Ken and Tawny Nelb. We’ll give them time to do presentations, we’ll have some snacks, and it will be a good time.”

Copies of The Midland Log are available for free for members of the Museum at Midland Center for the Arts, and cost $8 for the general public. They are available at the Midland Center Ticket Office at 1801 W. Saint Andrews.