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Ampo Seowon originally started as a shrine for memorial ceremonies of ancestors and also functioned as a seodang (private educational institute). In 1569 (the 2nd year of King Seonjo), following the national academy system, it was renamed Seowon while rebuilding the buildings to enshrine sages and educate students. On March 20, 1871 (the 8th year of King Gojong), it was abolished under the Seowon Abolition Order, which consolidated all but 47 national Seowon. It was restored on May 29, 1960, as a Hanok with four bays front and two bays side. Due to deterioration, the shrine was preserved for cultural value, while other buildings were relocated and rebuilt within the premises. On May 13, 2007, a reopening ceremony was held, hosted by the Seongju Hyanggyo Confucian scholars and clan representatives. The spatial layout places the shrine on the right side of the Seowon according to feng shui principles and the site’s topography; the site includes the Seowon, shrine, Danmok, and Danjeong.

This seowon originates from the construction of Deokamsa Shrine by the Sarim scholars in the 13th year of King Hyeonjong's reign (1672) in honor of the three virtuous men of the Gyeongsan Yi clan: Samikjae Lee Cheonbae, Baekcheon Lee Cheonbong, and Hakgajae Lee Ju. It was later destroyed under Heungseon Daewongun's order to abolish seowon but rebuilt as Deokam Seodang in the 13th year of King Gojong (1876). The current name was adopted in 1999 after government and Gyeongsangbuk-do support led to construction of the shrine, inner Sammun gate, and east and west study halls in 1998. Lee Cheonbae and Lee Cheonbong, brothers who studied under Han’gang Jeong Gu, participated in raising militia in Seongju during the Jeongmyo Horan (1627), for which Lee Cheonbong earned merit. Lee Ju studied under Yeoheon Jang Hyeongwang, establishing Baekindang to educate future generations and organizing local regulations and village codes. The seowon layout features a rectangular enclosure with earth and stone walls, the main gate Geonmyeongmun with a three-arched roof, a lecture hall facing north with east and west study rooms facing each other, and behind the lecture hall, within a separate enclosure, the inner Sammun gate and shrine. The lecture hall has five sections frontally and three on the side with a central two-section hall and heated rooms on either side. The east and west study rooms are three sections wide and one deep with a middle hall flanked by side rooms. The shrine is three sections wide and one and a half deep.