
Incorporated in 1850, Okolona became an early cotton-trading and -ginning center, and the arrival of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad in 1859 prompted more development. In 1866, the state legislature divided Chickasaw County into two judicial districts and made Okolona a county seat, the other being Houston. The courthouse of 1875 burned in 1924, and this building, like the former, accommodates a Masonic lodge, as indicated by signage on the entablature. The facade of the imposing three-story brick and limestone structure is treated as a raised temple with a partially arcaded ground level, fluted Ionic pilasters, an entablature, and a parapet shaped as a low pediment.