Jacob Wolf was a merchant, builder of log structures, carpenter, and blacksmith who was elected a representative to the Arkansas Territory's General Assembly in 1826. The two-story dogtrot structure he built in 1829 served as Izard County's first permanent courthouse. In present-day Norfork in Baxter County, near the meeting of the White and Norfork rivers, it stood in a prime location for hosting thousands of pioneers making their way into the central highlands of north Arkansas. The site served as a river port, center of trade, and seat of justice. John P. Houston, brother of Texas statesman Sam Houston, worked there as a county clerk, and people from the surrounding area often set up temporary quarters on the grounds to socialize and take part in favorite activities while court was in session. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, it is the last remaining two-story dog-trot public structure in the United States.