Buildings - Houghton County Juvenile Home

Archive Image
Add to Shoebox  View Your Shoebox  User Login
Title: Buildings - Houghton County Juvenile Home
Photographer: Unknown
Subject Headings: Buildings - Public Buildings, Seasons - Winter, Human Settlements - Cities and Towns
Condition: Good
Description: The old Houghton County juvenile home in Houghton has outlived its usefulness. The building which once housed scores of wayward children throughout its long history is now slated for removal from the court house scene. It is shown here at the side of the steel fencing.[Image of the boarded up building once used as a detention center. See comments section for additional information.]
Source of Description: Daily Mining Gazette - February 15, 1958 [Cataloger]
Institution: Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections
Donor: Robert Skuggen
Date of Photo: Saturday Febraury 15 1958
Medium: still image
Color: black and white
Size: 9.9 cm x 10.8 cm
Polarity: Positive
Image No: MS051-14-06-20
Collection Name: Daily Mining Gazette Photograph Collection
Terms of Use: Rights to reproduce and distribute this image may be restricted. Contact the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections for further information.
User Comments:
• On July 21, 1862, a contract was let for the construction of a court house, jail and sheriff's quarters which was to be built on Block 28 in Houghton, the present site of the court house. This building later became the juvenile home which stands about 50 feet from the copper covered structure now known as the Houghton County Courthouse which was built in 1886. The structure now known as the juvenile home was built in July of 1862 at a cost of $10,000 by contractor Procter P. Cowles. After the new court house was built in 1886, the old building became an armory of local militia. This armory unit moved here from an old building which stood on the present site of the Portage Township Library.From 1900 to 1946 it became the juvenile home. The first matron of the institution was Mrs. William Vivian,the second Mrs. Thomas McGrath, and the third and last Mrs. William Williams.From 1947 to June 15, 1951, the old juvenile home became the quarters for Michigan Tech married students with families, students originally from the Copper Country and veterans of World War II.Finally in 1951, the supervisors decided it should be remodeled and used further or sold for dismantling.Upon analysis, it was decided to reject all offers and to turn the structure over to the Welfare Department for salvage to use on the county hospital and other county buildings. (Daily Mining Gazette article - Saturday, February 15, 1958)
8/16/2007 9:09:55 AM by Christine Holland, Archives