Miller County, Arkansas: History and Information

Miller County, Arkansas

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

County Seat: Texarkana
Year Organized: 1862
Square Miles: 624

Court House:

400 Laurel Street
County Courthouse
Texarkana, AR 71854-5249

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Miller is named for James Miller, the first governor of the Arkansas Territory. James Miller (25 April 1776 - 7 July 1851) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire, the first Governor of Arkansas Territory, and a Brigadier General in the United States Army during the War of 1812.

Demographics:

History

Formed in April 1820, by the Territorial Legislature and abolished in 1838, to be recreated by the state General Assembly from a portion of Lafayette County in December 1874. It was named both times for James Miller, first Governor of Arkansas Territory. Texarkana is the county seat. Although Texarkana, Arkansas and Texarkana, Texas have separate governments under different states, they have always shared many commercial and cultural interests, which include their Post Office where you can stand with one foot in Arkansas and the other in Texas. The Arkansas portion of the post office is constructed of native limestone and the Texas portion is constructed of granite. The county has a strong industrial community manufacturing area, along with the Red River Army Depot in Texarkana. The landscape of the county is rolling hills, largely forested. The Red River forms the northern and western boundaries and is a favorite place for fishing. Sulphur River Wildlife Management Area, 17,000 acres, provides excellent duck hunting which is a popular sport. The Miller County Courthouse with is stately building holds a great deal of early history of the county. The land on which the courthouse stands was sold to the county for a nominal consideration by the railroad on condition that it is used for a courthouse.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Hempstead County

Southeast: Lafayette County; Bossier Parish, La.

South: Caddo Parish, La.

Southwest: Cass County, Tex.

Northwest: Bowie County, Tex.; Little River County

Cities and Towns:

- Fouke

town

Incorporated Area

- Garland

town

Incorporated Area

- Texarkana (County Seat)

city

Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

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."

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Miller County, Arkansas

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

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

County Resource Guide