In 1890 the brick Council House was in deplorable condition. R. M. Harris was then governor of the Chickasaw Nation. The brick building was torn down in 1891 and the construction of the granite Victorian Gothic capitol was started. Granite was quarried on Pennington Creek.

In 1898 the beautiful capitol was completed. It served the Chickasaw Nation as the National Capitol until Oklahoma statehood in November, 1907. The building was then leased to the Johnston County government until 1910, when it was purchased for a courthouse for Johnston County.

In 1989, the Chickasaw Nation, under the leadership of Governor Bill Anoatubby, purchased its historical capitol back from the Johnston County government.

Johnston County again leased the building from the Chickasaw Nation until 1993 when a new courthouse was completed.