Jefferson County is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was President of the United States from 1801 to 1809.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Pulaski County and Lonoke County
E – Arkansas County
S – Lincoln County and Cleveland County
W – Grant County
Created: November 2, 1829
County Seat:
Boone’s Cabin 1829 – 1832
Pine Bluff 1832 – present
County Courthouse – Pine Bluff
Location: 101 East Baroque Street / Main Street
Built: 1838 – 1840
Style: Antebellum
Architect: Jacob Brump, Alonson Spauling and W H Lindsay
Contractor: Jacob Brump, Alonson Spauling and W H Lindsay
Description: The building faces south and is a two story white colored brick and wood structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Pine Bluff. The building was a wood structure when constructed. The south front has a central entrance on the first story and rises to a square white colored brick tower with clock and gold colored dome vat the top. The center section projects from the main building. There is a sloped roof. In the interior the main hallway on the first story run north-south with two small courtrooms. In the new addition there is an open rectangular atrium rising to the second story. There are three County Circuit Court courtrooms along the east side of the second story and three along the west side. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit. The building is the oldest courthouse in Arkansas. From 1856 to 1860, the building was rebuilt of brick. The architect was Jacob Brump and the contractor was George G Keeler. The building was renovated from 1889 to 1890. The architect wad Edwin Cook and the contractor was William Hillard. From 1978 to 1980, a modern buff colored brick addition was constructed retaining the old courthouse in the center following a fire. The architect was Reed Willis and Burks, Ltd. and the contractor was Richardson Construction Company Inc. The building was renovated in 2020 to 2022. The contractors was Reynolds Construction & Commercial Roofing.
Note: The courthouse is the oldest courthouse in Arkansas still used as a courthouse and the second oldest courthouse is located in Crawford County (1842 ).
See: The 11th Judicial Circuit includes Arkansas County and Lincoln County.
History: The county was created in 1829 and the first court met at the homes of Joseph Bonne and Antoine Barraque. In 1832, Pine Bluff was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1833. The second and present courthouse was built in 1838 to 1840 at a cost of $15,000.
County District Court Courthouse – Pine Bluff
Location: South State Street / East 3rd Avenue
Built: 2009 – 2010
Style: Modern
Architect: Reed Architectural Firm Ltd.
Contractor: LCS of Arkansas
Description: The building faces southwest and is a one story concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Pine Bluff. The roof is flat. The building houses the County District Court – Division I and Division II.
County Courthouse – Pine Bluff
Photos taken 2011, 2019 and 2025
Images 17