From the parish's time of creation in 1811, the Town of Montpelier held the Seat of Government until 1832 when it was moved to Greensburg. Upon moving the Seat of Justice to Greensburg, St. Helena erected a frame building to stand as the area's courthouse. The parish also built the town's first jail. The architecture for both of these buildings was simple log cabins made from surrounding pine trees. St. Helena maintained both of these structures until 1855 when they were replaced by a brick design. The present building was constructed in 1936 by individuals employed through the Louisiana Works Progress Administration (WPA) created by President Franklin Roosevelt.