Jefferson County, Arkansas: History and Information

Jefferson County, Arkansas

Jefferson County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

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Etymology - Origin of County Name

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History

Formed by the Territorial Legislature on November 2, 1829, from parts of Arkansas and Pulaski counties and was named for Thomas Jefferson, US President. Pine Bluff is the County Seat. Jefferson County's new courthouse was constructed on the spot where its predecessor, built in 1838, had stood until destroyed by a fire in 1976. The 1838 courthouse is the only courthouse known to have caused a river to be changed. During the 1908 flood of the Arkansas River, the Judges' chambers, jury room, part of the courtroom, and the Sheriff's and Assessor's offices were purposely torn off and dumped into the river to keep the rest of the building from caving into the river. After the flood, the course of the river was changed to save the courthouse, and now channel Lake Pine Bluff. The landscape of the western third is pine-covered, rolling hills, and the eastern two-thirds is rich, fertile Delta farmland. Jefferson County is known for the fertile quality of its soil and has always been one of the leading cotton producers in the state. Its economic development is strongly tied to railroads and the Arkansas River. Its largest employers are International Paper Company, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, and the Pine Bluff Arsenal. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and two units of the state prison system makes state government a heavy contributor to the economy. The Arkansas River runs through the county and provides great bass fishing anywhere in the county, attracting several fishing tournaments. Jefferson County has an updated county jail and juvenile detention center. Pine Bluff is the state's fourth largest city where a number of historically important homes can be found. There are two museums, the Arkansas Railroad Museum and the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Museum. The Bayou Meto Wildlife Management Area is flooded each fall to attract ducks. Hunting in the county is a popular sport and attracts visitors from all around the country.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Lonoke County

East: Arkansas County

Southeast: Lincoln County

Southwest: Cleveland County

West: Grant County

Northwest: Pulaski County

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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Arkansas State...

Arkansas

Arkansas Counties

Jefferson County, Arkansas

Jefferson County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

Jefferson County, Arkansas

County Resource Guide

Penn Foster High School