In 1806, improvements were made by building records rooms for the Clerk of Court and the Registrar of Wills for a total sum of $1200.00.

Thirty years later, in the 1860s, $75,000 in bonds were issued by the County Commissioners for the purpose of enlarging and remodeling the existing courthouse and for building a new jail.

The massing and detail of the courthouse are typical of this late 19th-century style, developed from the works of architect Henry Hobson Richardson.

Characteristic of this style, the courthouse combines the use of brick highlighted with stone belt courses and presents a uniform rock-faced exterior finish.

The building's ribbons of windows set deeply into the walls, and large arched entry are also typical Richardsonian features.