Denison, a Baptist minister, owned 200,000 acres (81,000 ha) in Harrison and Crawford counties.

[2] He offered to build a courthouse, hotel, and store if the site was named the county seat.

[2] The first Crawford County Fair was held on the courthouse property in October 1860.

[3] It was designed by Nebraska architect George A. Berlinghof in the Beaux-Arts style.

The exterior is covered with blocks of Ohio marble, some of which weigh seven tons.