A Baptist minister named J. W. Denison owned 200,000 acres of land and offered to donated the first courthouse if the judge would name the site as the county seat. The offer was accepted and the site was called Denison. The first courthouse was constructed from clay and completed in 1859. Sometime between 1871 and 1873 a frame addition was added to the courthouse to double its former size. Apparently, the addition was unsightly and became popularly known as the "wart". Another addition was added in 1881.
In 1904, a new courthouse was completed for approximately $115,000. This building serves as today's courthouse. The exterior of this courthouse is made of Ohio marble. Some of the blocks weigh as much as seven tons.