Inscription
Big Rapids became the county seat in 1859 and incorporated as a city in 1869. This building, antedated by two other jails, served as the county jail and sheriff’s residence from 1893 until 1965. The oldest public structure in the original plat of the village of Big Rapids, it features gable and hip roofs and turrets characteristic of Queen Anne-style architecture.
The adjacent grounds have been used for a park and for concerts.
Location
Sources
More markers in Mecosta
Negro Settlers
Mecosta, MI
In the 1860s Negroes from southern Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario settled this region as farmers and woodsmen.
Fairman Building
Big Rapids, MI
Banker Ferdinand Fairman (1833-1902) built this structure in 1880-81.
Nisbett Block
Big Rapids, MI
Daniel F. Comstock (1831-1903), a lumberman and president of Mecosta County Savings Bank, began erecting his building in 1885 to house...
Mineral Well
Big Rapids, MI
In 1890 Alf Clark, who hoped to find oil at this site, found instead mineral water.
Paris Fish Hatchery
Green Township, MI
Opening in 1881, the Paris Fish Hatchery was the state’s second fish-rearing agency.
