The county went through the usual series of earlier courthouses before the present one, its third, was built in the mid-1930s. The first courthouse was a small wood structure built in 1854; this was replaced by a brick-and-stone building constructed in 1857–1858. This second, domed courthouse exhibited characteristics of the Greek Revival style, with a few nods here and there to the Italianate. It remained in use (with the addition of buildings to house public records) until it was torn down in 1937. A combination of PWA money and county bond funds was used to build the present building. In style it is PWA Moderne, with walls of brick contrasted against an almost white limestone trim. The fenestration seems to lie on the surface and consists of vertical bands of windows and sandstone panels slightly recessed between brick pilasters that terminate without capitals below the parapet.