This modest wood-frame building was built in 1774 to serve as one of two courthouses for Grafton County, which had just been established; it is one of the oldest surviving civic structures in the state.

It is a square wood-frame structure, 34 feet (10 m) on each side, with a truncated hip roof topped by a cupola.

The interior of the building consists of a single large chamber, whose styling is reflective of 1876 alterations.

[4] The courthouse was built in 1774, shortly after Grafton County was established, and Plymouth was named one of its shire towns.

After a new courthouse was built in 1823, the building was sold and moved to the outskirts of Plymouth, and used as a wheelwright's shop, undergoing significant alteration to accommodate that function.