Hanging on the freshly restored walls of the Cass County Historic Courthouse, a recently installed painting of the same building comes alive in gentle, nostalgic brushstrokes painted by former County Clerk Kenneth Poe in 1966. 

Rendered in warm, sunlit tones, the courthouse rises at the center of the canvas, its iconic clock tower framed by deep green trees and a sky washed in soft blue. The impressionistic scene, complete with a winding path inviting the viewer toward the arched front entrance, captures not just the architecture of the landmark but the enduring pride it represents in Cass County.

After spending decades in storage, the painting has returned to public view at the decision of current Clerk/Register Monica McMichael, Poe’s great niece. Poe, who served as county clerk from 1959 to 1982, created the artwork during his years of public service — a time when the courthouse served as both his workplace and muse. 

“I think it is fitting to display the painting, especially now that we have moved into the historic space,” McMichael said.

For McMichael, the painting is not simply a piece of courthouse décor. It is a connection to family memory and a testament to artistic perseverance. Poe was an avid painter, and his work was well-known within the family — one of his pieces hung for years in the dining room of his sister, Carolyn Poe Gorham, McMichael’s grandmother.

McMichael’s cousins recently recalled that their father pursued painting despite physical limitations he faced after contracting polio. 

“He was unable to hold up his arms, so he laid on a ping pong table in their basement in order to paint,” McMichael said.

Now, Poe’s courthouse painting will become a permanent fixture in the Clerk/Register’s Office — a tribute to his 23 years of service and reflecting the lasting legacy of the historic courthouse, long considered an icon of Cass County.