The Izard County Courthouse was built from 1938-1940 utilizing labor from the National Youth Administration, a New Deal agency set up by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide work for people ages 16-25. They did a good job and this beautiful gray-limestone structure is located along Courthouse Square in Melbourne, Arkansas. There are Art Deco flourishes throughout and a World War I memorial on the grounds.
A recent visit to my hometown of Columbus reminded me of summer days spent with “city cousins” where we would show off some of our town’s more interesting haunts, specifically the ancient Caddo Indian Mounds which were converted into a cemetery for the earliest settlers of this area.
One of the best parts of my job is traveling across the state and visiting our beautiful courthouses. Many Arkansas towns are literally built around their courthouse, so they each share incredible history.
Miller County Courthouse will always have a special place in my heart because it was while working there in the summer of 1987, that I decided to become an Attorney.
I had a wonderful time the morning of September 9th, visiting the Lonoke County Courthouse. I was pleasantly surprised to read that the name of the library is the “Marjorie Walker McCrary” library.
The Bradley County Courthouse in Warren is one of the most beautiful courthouses in the State, and like most of the Arkansas Courthouses I go to, it has more than a few great stories within it's walls.
PFC Due W. Turner at the Columbia County Courthouse
Columbia County Courthouse
After reading last months newsletter, my friend, Richard Watts, reached out to me about the story of a nearly-forgotten hero from Columbia County named Due W. Turner.
As a child growing up in Columbus, I spent a lot of time at the Hempstead Courthouse. It was where I was first exposed to the law, and it was after an internship there while I was at Hendrix College, that I decided to become an Attorney.