Pickens County Courthouse, County courthouse in Carrollton, Alabama.

The Pickens County Courthouse is a two-story brick building with a white-painted base, white quoins at the corners and a low-pitched roof edged by a deep bracketed cornice. Tall round-arched windows with white surrounds and dark sashes line the front and side walls. On the right front, a white portico of four columns shelters a glazed double door and carries a balcony with white railing; concrete steps with white sidewalls lead up to it, and a small louvered vent sits in the gable above the cornice.

The courthouse was constructed between 1877 and 1878, following the destruction of its predecessor by fire in 1876. This new building became the third courthouse structure to be built at this location in Carrollton.

The face in the garret window draws sightseers; Carrollton has mounted a reflective highway sign with an arrow pointing to the pane, and permanent binoculars stand across the street for a closer look. The Alabama Historical Association placed a historic marker here in 1974 recounting the courthouse's role and the Henry Wells story.

The courthouse stands on the square in Carrollton, where a reflective highway sign with an arrow points to the garret pane holding the face image. Permanent binoculars are mounted across the street for a closer look, since the image is visible only from outside; from within, the pane looks like ordinary glass.

A window in the building's upper reaches bears an unexplained mark or mysterious image connected to the story of Henry Wells, who died in 1878. This detail captures the attention of visitors interested in lesser-known local history.