CLINTON — The oldest operating courthouse in America is still open for business in downtown Clinton.

The East Feliciana Parish Courthouse has been a fully functional courthouse since 1840 and is a National Historic Landmark.

The two-story Greek Revival brick building survived the Civil War, during which Union forces used it as a horse stable. It sits on a 4-acre town square on St. Helena Street.

The 55-by-55-foot building is nearly 7,700 square feet and still has its original second floor courtroom, which operates with two judges.

WBRZ's April Davis toured the courthouse with Chief Judge Kathryn "Betsy" Jones, the first female judge in the district.

Jones pointed out that much of the courtroom is original, including the heart pine floors, a fireplace, the bailiff's stand and the judges bench, all in place for 186 years.

"It is an amazing and very humbling honor. To be truly honest, I find it an honor every day that I get to walk into this Courthouse starting from 1993 when I was a law clerk here for the two judges," Jones said.

Major renovations between 2006 and 2014 restored original paint colors and materials, but much of the second floor courtroom's original details remain intact.

During that restoration work, a discovery was made inside the woodwork of the judges bench. "When they started cleaning up the woodwork to refinish it, they found a tack line hidden along the back of it. And underneath it, they found the original cloth, sent it off to a weaving company and matched it," Jones said.

The courthouse has also seen a shift in who sits on the bench. "Within two election cycles, we went from having never had a female judge in the 20th Judicial District to having both judges be female judges," Jones said.

The courtroom operates much like any other in Louisiana.

"You got to remember we're in East Feliciana Parish, so we have Dixon Correctional, so we frequently have inmates from Dixon Correctional that have to be brought here for court," Jones said.

Jones said her next project is getting faster Wi-Fi and the lack of newer technology does present challenges.

"Well, there are certainly days when I say, oh, this would be so much easier if we were in a completely modern, brand new courthouse. And that's true. However," Jones said, "the history and the feeling of getting to work and practice here, surrounded by history in a building that has served this parish literally since 1840. Would I give that up just to say we're totally modern and things are a little bit easier to do? No."