It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource.

[4] The 24-by-20-foot (7.3 by 6.1 m) building, which was constructed of logs, also housed the jail and served as a schoolhouse, public hall, and hotel.

[4] The building was designed in the Classical Revival style by the Des Moines architectural firm Wetherell & Gage, and built by J.L Simmons.

Each facade features a frontispiece with large engaged columns in the Ionic order that are set in antis above first floor level.

Other historic structures on the courthouse square include a fountain, bandstand, and a Civil War Monument.