A small building in Leon, made from logs served as the first courthouse in Decatur. The $375 building was soon outgrown and a new one was built. However, the buildings that followed it seemed to exist under a streak of bad luck.
Soon after the first small courthouse was built it was declared unusable. The next one was destroyed by a windstorm before it could be finished. Fire destroyed the third courthouse along with all of the county records.
In 1875, for approximately $20,000, a brick courthouse was completed. This one also met with bad luck when two thieves tried to crack the Treasurer's safe. To open the safe they set off a large explosion that blew up an entire side of the building but did not damage the safe. The courthouse was then rebuilt and served until 1908, when the next courthouse was completed.
This courthouse, that still stands today, is made of iron, steel, stone, tile, brick, marble, and granite.