Court was first held in Jasper County in 1846 in a one-room addition to the log cabin of Matthew D. Springer. The first courthouse was built of lumber in 1847; it was and cost a total of $87.50. That courthouse was later moved to a farm near Newton. A second courthouse was a brick structure that was faced with limestone and built in 1857 at a total cost of $26,600. Its basement was sandstone. The building featured porticos that extended from the building that were held up by Ionic columns. A cupola that rose above the ground.
