On the way home from Grand Rapids I stopped in Ionia to get McDonalds and I couldn’t resist going to a downtown I’ve never been to if I am only miles from it.  It is the county seat of Ionia County and is the largest city.  Downtown was much bigger then I was expecting.  When you first go down Main Street it seemed like the old, historic buildings were going on forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ionia Theatre- opened in 1931

 

 

City Hall

 

 

Post Office

 

“The St. John’s Episcopal parish was established on February 4, 1841.  Under the leadership of the Reverend Melancthon Hoyt, the parish constructed its first church, now the parish house, that same year.  Built on land donated by Ionia’s founder, Samuel Dexter, the building was the first church in Ionia County and is thought to be the second oldest Episcopal building in Michigan.  It was consecrated on April 24, 1842, by the Reverend Samuel McCoskry, the first Bishop of Michigan.  In 1882/83 the present brick church was erected at a cost of $7,334.89.  This Gothic style structure, with English Cathedral glass windows, was consecrated on July 2, 1890 by the Right Reverend George de Normandle Gillestle, the first Bishop of Western Michigan”.

 

 

“IONIA CHURCH OF CHRIST- In Merritt’s Hall on January 24, 1859, the Reverend Isaac Errett and forty-three members signed the original charter of the Ionia Church of Christ (First Christian Church).  The first church of this denomination had been founded in nearby Muir in 1856.  In 1861 James A. Garfield, later the twentieth President of the United States, was a guest speaker at a revival meeting held by the church.  The site of the present church was purchased in 1864.  The basement was completed in 1867.  Services were held there until the church was completed in 1873.  Patterned after Romanesque models in the east, the church displays the influence of Philadelphian architect Samuel Sloan.  The E.H. Stafford Co. of Ionia designed and built the wooden pews.  In 1889 the church was enlarged, its stained glass windows were installed in 1917.

 

 

 

Hall-Flower Memorial Library

“FREDERICK HALL HOUSE- Captain Lucius Mills, a local builder, constructed this house for Frederick and Ann Hall in 1869-1870.  Built of variegated Ionia sandstone, the house is an outstanding example of the Italian Villa style.  Frederick Hall came to Ionia County in 1837 when President James K. Polk appointed him deputy land register at the U.S. Land Office in Lyons.  He held numerous public offices, including state representative and congressman, and became Ionia’s first mayor in 1873.  Community churches and schools benefited from the Hall’s generosity.  In 1903 their only child, Marion Hall-Fowler (1849-1931), deeded the Hall house to the city, stipulating that it be “forever used for library purposes” and “known as the Hall-Fowler Memorial Library”.

 

 

 

 

Ionia County Courthouse- it was hard to get good pictures of because of all the trees.

“Completed in 1885, the Ionia County Courthouse is the largest structure ever built in Ionia sandstone.  The handsome three-and-a-half story courthouse replaced an 1840s hall of justice, which had become inadequate for the county’s needs.  David W. Gibbs (1837-1917), of Toledo, Ohio, designed the 120’ x 80’ Classical Revival structure.  The $42,380 courthouse was financed by a special tax levy, which was approved in 1883.  The first county offices moved into the new building in January 1886 and court was first held in it in late February of that year.  Formal dedication services were observed on July 3, 1886.  The interior is adorned with black and white marble floors, oak wainscoting, fourteen marble fireplaces and a massive Walnut and butternut staircase”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very impressive downtown, with a brick street, to boot! Also, thanks for the excellent history notes. The courthouse sounds pretty grand.

Neat, thanks!

Whoa, looks like a great little town! Thanks!