Randolph County is located between the Ozark Mountains and Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The county is named for John Randolph, a U.S. senator from Virginia influential in obtaining congressional approval of the Louisiana Purchase, which includes today's Randolph County. Created as Arkansas's 32nd county on October 29, 1835, Randolph County has two incorporated cities, including Pocahontas, the county seat and most populous city. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns.
Pocahontas is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. According to the 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city was 6,608.
U.S. Route 64 is a U.S. highway running from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona east to Nags Head, North Carolina. In the U.S. state of Arkansas, the route runs 246.35 miles (396.46 km) from the Oklahoma border in Fort Smith east to the Tennessee border in Memphis. The route passes through several cities and towns, including Fort Smith, Clarksville, Russellville, Conway, Searcy, and West Memphis. US 64 runs parallel to Interstate 40 until Conway, when I-40 takes a more southerly route.
U.S. Route 67 is a U.S. highway running from Presidio, Texas northeast to Sabula, Iowa. In the U.S. state of Arkansas, the route runs 279.15 miles (449.25 km) from the Texas border in Texarkana northeast to the Missouri border near Corning. The route passes through several cities and towns, including Hope, Benton, Little Rock, Jacksonville, Cabot, Beebe, Walnut Ridge, and Pocahontas.
The Randolph County Courthouse is located at the southwest corner of Broadway and North Marr Street in downtown Pocahontas, the county seat of Randolph County, Arkansas. It is a two-story brick and concrete Art Deco building, designed by Eugene John Stern and built in 1940 with funding from the Works Progress Administration. The primary construction material is buff-colored brick, but its raised central section is faced in gray concrete, which is also used in banding around the sides of the building. The central section has an arcade created by four tall fluted square pillars with capitals reminiscent of Corinthian design. The building replaced the old courthouse, an 1870s Italianate building that now houses other civic offices.
The Old Randolph County Courthouse is a historic former county courthouse at Broadway and Vance Street in the center of Pocahontas, Arkansas. It is a two-story Italianate Victorian brick structure, built in 1872, regionally distinctive for its architectural style. It has brick quoined corners, and a low hip roof with small central gables on each elevation, and a square cupola with flared roof. Its eaves are studded with paired brackets and dentil moulding. It served as the county courthouse until 1940, and has since then has housed city offices, the local public library, and other offices.
The El Dorado Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial heart of downtown El Dorado, Arkansas. The city serves as the seat of Union County, and experienced a significant boom in growth during the 1920s, after oil was discovered in the area. The business district that grew in this time is anchored by the Union County Courthouse, at the corner of Main and Washington Streets, where the Confederate memorial is also located. The historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 includes the city blocks surrounding the courthouse, as well as several blocks extending east along Main Street and south along Washington Street. Most of the commercial buildings are one and two stories in height and are built of brick. Notable exceptions include the Exchange Bank building, which was, at nine stories, the county's first skyscraper, and the eight-story Murphy Oil building. There are more than forty contributing properties in the district.
The Prescott Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial core of Prescott, Arkansas, the county seat of Nevada County. Prescott was laid out in 1873, after the railroad was built through the area that is now Nevada County, and the railroad has played a significant role in the city's development. The railroad today bisects the commercial core of the city, which extends for several city blocks away from the railroad. The historic district includes all of the major civic buildings of the city, including the courthouse, post office, and the old Prescott City Jail.
The DeQueen Commercial Historic District encompasses part of the commercial heart of downtown De Queen, Arkansas. The district is centered on the block containing the Sevier County Courthouse, a three-story brick Colonial Revival structure built in 1930. It includes buildings facing the courthouse square on West DeQueen Avenue, West Stilwell Avenue, and North Third Street, and extends an additional block eastward to North Second Street. This commercial heart of the city was developed mainly between 1900 and 1920, and includes 21 historically significant buildings. Notable among them is the former Hayes Hardware Building at 314 West DeQueen, built c. 1900, and the Bank of DeQueen at 221 West DeQueen, also built c. 1900.
The Stuttgart Commercial Historic District encompasses a portion of the commercial center of Stuttgart, Arkansas. The district extends along Main Street between 1st and 6th Streets, and includes a few buildings on the adjacent numbered streets as well as Maple and College Streets, which parallel Main to the west and east, respectively. The majority of the district's 76 buildings were built between about 1900 and 1920, and are brick commercial structures one or two stories in height. Notable among these buildings are the Riceland Hotel, the Standard Ice Company Building, and the county courthouse.
The Harrisburg Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic civic and commercial heart of Harrisburg, Arkansas, the county seat of Poinsett County, located in the far northeastern part of the state. The district encompasses the buildings surrounding Court Square, where the Poinsett County Courthouse is located, and extends a short way north and south on Main and East Streets. Although Harrisburg was founded in 1856, its substantial growth did not begin until after the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s. The oldest building in the district is the Harrisburg State Bank building at 100 North Main. The courthouse is a grand Classical Revival structure built in 1917. Most of the district buildings were built before the Great Depression, using brick or masonry construction.
The Walnut Ridge Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic town center of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, the county seat of Lawrence County. The district includes a four-block stretch of Main Street on the northwest side of the railroad tracks, and extends for one and sometimes two blocks on either side. Walnut Ridge was founded as a railroad town in 1875, and soon became a leading economic center in the county. Most of its historic downtown consists of vernacular commercial architecture dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, built of masonry and brick, and one or two stories in height. Notable buildings include the 1924 Swan Theatre at 222 West Main Street, the 1935 Old Walnut Ridge Post Office at 225 West Main, and the 1965 Lawrence County Courthouse at 315 West Main, which replaced a c. 1900 structure.
The Waldron Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic central business district of Waldron, Arkansas. This area, a five-block stretch of Main Street, was primarily developed between 1880 and 1920, but was an active commercial area from the town's incorporation in 1852. An unknown number of its early buildings were destroyed during the American Civil War. Most of the buildings are one and two story brick structures, with a variety of commercial architectural and vernacular styles present. The courthouse is a notable late building: it was built in 1933, and has Art Deco styling.
The Huntsville Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic elements of the business district of Huntsville, Arkansas, the county seat of Madison County. It covers an area three blocks by two, extending east–west between Hughes and Harris Streets, and north–south between War Eagle and Church Streets. Most of the buildings in the district were built after fires swept through the town in 1902 and 1925, although the Madison County Courthouse is an Art Deco structure built in 1939. The district includes 32 historically significant buildings.
The Charleston Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial center of Charleston, Arkansas. Extending along East Main Street between Tilden Street and Arkansas Highway 217, the district includes primarily single-story masonry commercial buildings built between 1900 and 1940. Notable exceptions are the Franklin County Courthouse, Southern District, and the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The Jasper Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial center of Jasper, Arkansas. It includes the Newton County Courthouse, a 1930s Works Progress Administration building, and buildings that line the courthouse square, as well as some of the streets radiating from it. Built between the 1880s and 1940s, the district includes a high quality collection of commercial buildings constructed out of local stone. Most are one or two stories in height, and are vernacular to the period of their construction. Five of the district's 26 buildings were built by Gould Jones, a prominent local blacksmith and mason.
The Ozark Courthouse Square Historic District encompasses the historic late 19th-century center of Ozark, Arkansas. It includes an area two blocks by two blocks in area, bounded on the west by 4th Street, the north by West Commercial Street, the east by 2nd Street, and the south by West Main Street. Most of the buildings in the district were built between about 1890 and 1930, a period of significant growth occasioned by the arrival of the railroad, and are built either out of brick or locally quarried stone. Prominent buildings include the Franklin County Courthouse and the Bristow Hotel.
The Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District encompasses a portion of the historic city center of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It extends from Barraque Street south along Main Street, extending in places to properties alongside streets. The area's commercial development began about 1840, when the courthouse square was laid out at Barraque and Main, and proceeded through the early 20th century. Most of the commercial properties of the district were built between 1880 and 1910, and are reflective architecturally of late 19th-century commercial building styles.
The Paris Commercial Historic District encompasses much of the commercial heart of downtown Paris, Arkansas. Centered on the courthouse square, where the Logan County Courthouse, Eastern District is located, the district contains a well-preserved collection of mainly commercial architecture from the turn of the 20th century. The district includes the buildings facing the courthouse square, as well as additional buildings extending down South Express and South Elm Streets, and the cross streets between them.
The Warren Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial heart of Warren, Arkansas. The district's northern end is focused on the Bradley County Courthouse and Clerk's Office, and extends down Main Street to Church Street, with branches along cross streets and roads radiating from the courthouse square. This area was developed beginning in the 1840s, but its oldest buildings date to the 1890s, primarily brick commercial buildings. Of architectural note are the courthouse, a Beaux Arts structure built in 1903, and the Classical Revival Warren Bank building (1927).
