By the time the citizens of Langlade County decided to replace their original modest courthouse with this imposing building, the area had been transformed from a boreal forest to a cutover land dotted with potato and dairy farms and cheese factories. As logging companies sold their holdings, many European immigrants were attracted by the availability of farmland and eked out a living. This courthouse symbolizes the promise the land held out to these immigrants. Architects from Minneapolis designed the brownstone Beaux-Arts classical building. The county supervisors hoped for an attractive building, but most of all, they wanted a frugal one. Presumably the Port Wing brownstone used here turned out to be the least costly, but it created a handsome reddish-brown landmark. Rock-faced stone forms the first of three stories, and smooth stones with rusticated quoins compose the upper walls. The central, projecting pavilion has a double staircase that curves to an arched entrance at the second level. Above this, Doric columns support a pediment. The ornate dome has arched diamond-paned sashes in its square base and is embellished by engaged columns and knobbed finials. Inside, murals along the top floor’s south wall and in the courtroom depict allegories of Liberty and Justice.