It is linear in shape, following Main Street, which runs from the southwest to the northeast in a narrow valley between two 400-foot (120 m) bluffs.

The buildings in the district were constructed between 1849 and 1952, with a significant number built between 1849 and 1860.

[2] They are between one and three stories in height, are generally constructed of brick, and follow the commercial Italianate and Greek Revival styles.

Jacobs designed a couple of buildings in the district, notably: First National Bank (1863), Town Hall and Jail (1874), and 128-134 Main Street (1880s).

Three buildings are individually listed on the National Register: the American House (1854), the Joseph "Diamond Jo" Reynolds Office Building and House (1885), and the Goedert Meat Market (1890).