The Drain Commissioner is primarily responsible for the administration of the county drain code, Public Act 40 (1956), as it applies to Marquette County.MARQUETTE COUNTYDRAIN COMMISSIONER ACTIVITIES REPORTFROM JANUARY 1, 2017 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2017
Native Upper Peninsula sandstone graces the exterior of the courthouse. The foundation up to the water table is Marquette Raindrop Brownstone which was cut at the old Marquette Quarry operated by John Burt, son of explorer and inventory William Burt. The remainder of the exterior is Portage Entry Redstone which was quarried in the Keweenaw Peninsula and gives it a distinctive red hue. The red granite columns which support the main portico were quarried and polished in Redbeach, Maine and transported to Marquette. This was major undertaking as each column weighs 15 tons. The main corridors are lined with Italian marble wainscot and the flooring is vitrified mosaic tile set in a decorative pattern. Numerous columns of Scagliola plaster also appoint the corridors. The woodwork and furnishings are constructed of fine hardwood. The interior and exterior focal point of the building is an elaborate stained glass dome which is located above the main circuit courtroom and is protected from the elements by an exterior copper sheathed dome.
The courthouse has enjoyed a rich history. In 1913, former President Theodore Roosevelt filed a libel suit against George A. Newett, publisher of the Ishpeming Iron Ore. Newett had reported that Roosevelt was addicted to the use of alcohol and a user of profanity. Judge R. C. Flannigan found Newett guilty and ordered him to pay Roosevelt damages in the amount of six cents, the price of a good newspaper. More recently, the courthouse served as the setting for several scenes of the 1959 filming of Anatomy of a Murder, directed by Otto Preminger and starring James Stewart, Ben Gazzara, George C. Scott, and Lee Remick.
.This beautiful structure, this temple of justice, is to stand here as a monument to government, to law and order, as distinguished from anarchy lawlessness and disorder..Its presence here cannot fail to have a salutary influence upon the people old and young, rich and poor. And, if a thing of beauty is a joy forever, its appeal to our sensibilities will ever make us glad.
