Architect G. Stanley Mansfield designed the Richardsonian Romanesque building.

In 1844, the county's first dedicated courthouse, a two-story Greek Revival structure, opened at the site of the present building; it served the county until it needed a larger space toward the end of the 19th century.

[2] The courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1978.

Limestone porches on the east and west sides cover the courthouse's two main entrances.

The courthouse's two paintings are smaller oil murals, each one 8 by 11 feet (2.4 by 3.4 m) and depicting a subject related to the concept of justice.