Old Scott County Courthouse & Jail

The Old Scott County Courthouse was built in 1934 and housed the county government until 1996, when a new courthouse was constructed.  The building is three stories with two full basements. It is considered architecturally and historically significant due to its Art Deco style and as an example of a New Deal–era project. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1989.

In 1933, a fire destroyed the 1904 courthouse built by a Mr. Creech and J. L. McCartney. County Judge J. F. Martin found temporary housing for local government offices and soon began construction on a new courthouse. Voters approved a five-mill tax to fund building costs, but fiscal challenges remained. After the Great Depression brought widespread unemployment, Scott County faced hardships as the local lumber industry declined. County administrators found aid in New Deal policies when the Works Progress Administration (WPA) appropriated funds for labor costs on the 1934 Scott County Courthouse’s construction.

Upon the courthouse’s completion, the local WPA office would be housed on the second and third floors. Other New Deal–era agencies operating in the building included the Farm Security Administration and the Agricultural Adjustment Act.

Fort Smith architects T. E. Bassham and Carnall Wheeler designed the red brick building in a heightened Art Deco style, which included a tall granite panel over the entrance bay. Designers kept the interior plain, with concrete walls over a brick dado. The first floor consisted of the offices for the county judge, sheriff, clerk, treasurer and other administrative offices. The courtroom on the second floor included concrete benches for prisoners awaiting their legal proceedings. The building is unique in that it has three separate third floor corridors.  One staircase went to the third floor, where Scott County housed its jail. Another lead to the Farm Security Administration office, which later became the nurse’s office. The third corridor, off the courtroom, lead to the jury deliberation room and WPA Office. The building also uniquely has two separate basements. The largest originally contained the county hall, welfare office and Agricultural Adjustment Act offices. The second smaller basement was accessible through the Sherriffs office and contained the boiler room, coal room and a cooler cell for prisoners.

The Old Scott County Courthouse deteriorated as time passed, especially after Scott County moved its county offices to the new facility in 1996. Preservation efforts have restored a portion of the building since 1989, including a 2013 AHPP grant of $75,000 for rehabilitation of the first level. In 2016, renovations continued on the basement, but water leakage has continued despite numerous other efforts to prevent it.

After sitting empty for two decades and with little interest in occupying the empty spaces, new life would be breathed into the structure in the Spring of 2021 when the Scott County Museum of History was established. There were talks and proposals for a museum in Scott County dating back to 2017, but no thorough effort was ever made. Local business owner Gary Blythe had talked for several years about potentially donating his personal museum collection to the county for further public enjoyment. Gary was eventually approached by local historian Ty Richardson in the Fall of 2020 about donating his collection and helping to establish a new museum in the old courthouse. After several months of deliberation, Gary agreed that his collection should be passed on for future generations to enjoy. Mr. Richardson and local historian Carolyn Hannah began working with Gary and Judge James Forbes on establishing The Scott County Museum of History in the old courthouse. Work began immediately in the Spring of 2021 to finalize rehabilitation of the first floor, as well as relocate the entirety of Blythe’s Museum to its new home. The Scott County Museum of History became a designated 501c3 organization in January of 2022 and the museum was officially opened on May 14, 2022. The museum is currently thriving and actively seeks funds and grant opportunities with the help of the county to continue restoration and preservation efforts on the Old Courthouse.

Aricle by: Ty Richardson

Gallery Below of Old Scott County Courthouse & Jail

If you wish to support our current and future work, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our many books. Any and all donations are appreciated.

Donate to our cause Check out our books!