Its walls are fashioned out of fieldstone, laid dry in irregular courses.

The structure's only entrance is at the center of the east side, formed out of two upright granite posts and a granite lintel about 4 feet (1.2 m) long, which is fastened to the posts by metal pins.

The first documentation for a municipally funded pound is dated 1795, when a structure of unknown form was authorized to be built in Turner Center.

The present structure was funded by the town in 1816 and built by Moses Merrill on land belonging to Cushing Phillips.

The site was chosen for its geographically central location, and because it was at the junction of two roads providing access to much of the community.