The seat of county government was originally established at Fort Harmony from 1856 until 1859, then moved to the city of Washington until 1863, when St. George became the county seat. By 1866, work had begun on the Washington County Courthouse, a large and stately building with a balcony and a cupola, while construction proceeded concurrently with the tabernacle one block to the south and involved the same craftsmen. Although the building was first intended to be made of dressed sandstone, the need for many men to raise the tabernacle walls led to a change in plan, and the courthouse was built of locally manufactured lime and brick and completed in 1870. Its three basement rooms were used as a jail, the first floor housed county government offices, and the second floor contained a large assembly room used as a courtroom as well as for government functions, civic group meetings, political gatherings, socials, dances, and school classrooms. The building still stands in downtown St. George, with 18 inch thick interior walls, some panes of original glass beside the entrance doors, chandeliers, original paintings of Zion Canyon and Grand Canyon on the upstairs walls, and an early day security vault, and it remains a key center of activity that reflects the workmanship of Dixie’s early master builders.