Lowndes County was established anuary 30, 1830, from the southern part of Monroe County. The county is named for William Jones Lowndes (1782-1822), a lawyer, planter and statesman from South Carolina was a United States Congressman from that State (1811-1822) and an earnest supporter of the War of 1812.
The courthouse was built in 1847, It was designed by local architect
James Lull. The courthouse was remodeled by R.H. Hunt in 1905. The Mississippi Legislature at the courthouse after Jackson, the state capital, fell to the Union during the Civil War. During the Civil War, Columbus served as a hospital town and was not viewed by the Union as a prime target and was not attacked by Union troops and thus the many historic building were not destroyed and remain standing today including this historic courthouse.