Built in 1896, the old Perry County Courthouse Museum is made of pressed yellow brick with Bedford limestone trim. The courthouse was built to replace the first courthouse at Cannelton, which was in a house remodeled for the hasty move of the county seat from Rome in 1859. The building cost $30,000, raised by Cannelton citizens and donated to the county. The Perry County Courthouse Museum is dedicated to collecting and preserving local history and artifacts.