Penokee Iron Range Trail – Historic Iron County Courthouse
Iron County Heritage Area
Ashland County was not willing to have its eastern most township, the Town of Vaughn, “secede” to form a new county in 1887.
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 most extensive collection of Penokee Iron Range artifacts and displays.
Marker is at the intersection of Iron Street and 3rd Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Iron Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
