History of the Carroll County Western District Courthouse Building

The Carroll County Western District Courthouse was opened in 1908. Though the existing courthouse in Berryville was adequate, the need for a second county courthouse was emphasized by the flooding of the Kings River, which isolated the rapidly growing population of Eureka Springs from necessary County records. In addition, it seems clear that from its inception, the courthouse was also intended to house the City Offices of Eureka Springs. Resolutions passed in 1905 by the County and 1906 by the City specifically define an understanding between City and County that provides for the City to be given office space in exchange for the deeding of lots and allocation of funds to the County. Specific reference is made in the original building contract to the "City Hall floor, being the first floor," even before construction had started. It should be noted that pursuant to a special meeting of the Eureka Springs City Council in 1907 the deed and moneys were applied without conditions on the deed. In any event, the City donated the land and moneys to encourage the project and the Quorum Court awarded the contract to W.O. Perkins and Son at a bid of $17,000. In 1907 the work began on the construction of a three story limestone gothic style building. The record shows that both the County and the City began using the building by 1908 and have since jointly occupied the building. The City Offices are housed in the semi-basement first floor, the County Offices on the second floor and the Courtroom, which serves both City and County, on the third. In 1923, the County acquired an additional two lots North of the courthouse and adjacent to the City Auditorium. A total of eight lots comprise the building site and adjacent parking areas North and South of the building. In 2000, the building facade was deeded to the State of Arkansas through the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. In 2001, the center tower restoration project was completed and the Courthouse now appears as it did in this 1908 photograph.

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