Early civic buildings are rare in Connecticut, and this beautiful 1822 courthouse has been called one of the five most important remaining examples. It replaced an earlier building built in 1785 to satisfy the requirement of the state that the town must provide a courthouse and "gaol" in order to be designated as the Tolland County Seat.

All courts in Tolland County were held here until about 1890, when they relocated to the new Memorial Building in Rockville. In 1899, a library opened on the first floor, the town's public library until 1985, when it moved to the newly renovated Hicks Municipal Center.

The building was given to the Historical Society by the Tolland Public Library Association in 2001, becoming the Society's third museum.

The second floor, with its cove ceiling and beautiful Palladian window, has been returned to working courtroom appearance, with many original furnishings. The back of the courtroom and the upstairs hallway contain exhibits related to the history of the building and the effects the presence of courts and jail on the growth of the town and its institutions.

The first floor is occupied by the French Canadian Genealogical Society as a library.