Benton County Courthouse

As an attorney, I often find myself at courthouses in cities around our state as I work with those going through legal battles surrounding personal injury cases. Each courthouse is unique and reflects the best building practices of their time, that’s why so many of them are still standing and why historians want to preserve them. And I can’t imagine what it would cost today to build some of these ornate structures.

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The Benton County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It marks one of the corners of the Bentonville Town Square and is the big Classic Revival building with an arched colonnade entrance.

I always look forward to going to Bentonville to see the rapid growth that is occurring. They are doing a wonderful job keeping that "small town feel" around a bustling courthouse square. I enjoyed walking the square to see the shops and restaurants and stopping in for a cup of Onyx coffee (this is a great hangout for attorneys because of their strong wifi and equally strong coffee).

The most famous building in Benton County is not the courthouse but Sam Walton’s Five & Dime store. It is now a museum and there you can meet people from all over the world walking through the old store. If you listen you will hear the same comment over and over: “Can you believe WalMart started from such humble beginning?" If Sam Walton can make it, you have to wonder which little store around an Arkansas courthouse might be the next super-star.

During my most recent visit to Bentonville, I had a case at the courthouse before Judge Xollie Duncan. While waiting our turn we were informed that there would be a delay because the judge was being called to hear the case of a 21-year-old homeless man who had been found living in a vehicle which did not belong to him. His parents were in the courtroom to explain to the judge that their son’s mental problems coupled with a drug addiction led to his homelessness and that he should be committed to get the help he needed.

The court wanted to make sure that the young man was represented and understood what was happening. It was clear that everyone involved wanted to help the man, but I was struck by the cost and difficulty of the procedure. The county had to have a deputy prosecuting attorney bring the charges as well as a public defender appointed to represent him; the deputies had to escort him to and from court, to jail, and transport him to the mental health facility; the bailiff and judge's staff had to re-organize the schedules of the other cases so the judge could conduct the hearing. In the end the young man got help as he consented to the commitment.

I’m glad to know that the judiciary system is looking at options other than incarceration for people who need mental health treatment. I hope the system continues to work to streamline the process.

You never quite know what's going to happen when you are in a courthouse. You may see emotional testimony from a witness, experience the jubilant celebration of an adoption, or see the mercy of our justice system. When next you find yourself at one of these historic buildings I hope you will keep your eyes peeled for the interesting happenings of courthouse life.

As an attorney, I often find myself at courthouses in cities around our state as I work with those going through legal battles surrounding personal injury cases. Each courthouse is unique and reflects the best building practices of their time, that’s why so many of them are still standing and why historians want to preserve them. And I can’t imagine what it would cost today to build some of these ornate structures.

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