Calhoun County is named for John C Calhoun, who was the seventh Vice President of the United States of America.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Dallas County
E – Cleveland County and Bradley County
S – Union County
W – Ouachita County
Created: December 6, 1850
County Seat:
Hampton 1850 – present
County Courthouse – Hampton
Location: 309 Main Street / South 2nd Street
Built: 1909 – 1910
Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Frank W Gibb of Little Rock
Contractor: Edgar L Koonce
Description: The building faces north and is a two story buff colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Hampton. On the northeast corner is a five story clock tower with open section on the fifth story and with clock at the roof. On the northwest corner is a smaller three story square tower. The north front has an arched central entrance with an arched window on each side and three large windows on the second story. On the sloped roof is a dormer. In the interior, the first floor, has the original pressed-tin ceilings which tower eighteen feet above the floor. The courtroom on the second story also has the original pressed-tin ceilings and has the only set of wood risers remaining in an Arkansas courthouse, seating viewers on eight levels of bleachers. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit. The stone contractor was Axel Anderson. The only addition, a one-story brick wing, was added in 1969 to house the county jail.
See: The architect, Frank W Gibb of Little Rock also designed courthouses in Bradley County, Conway County, Dallas County, Franklin County, Phillips County and Yell County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Calhoun County Courthouse
See: The 13th Judicial Circuit includes Cleveland County, Columbia County, Dallas County, Ouachita County and Union County.
History: The county was created in 1850 and Hampton was selected as the county seat. The court met in the home of James Riggs near Hampton in 1851 and the first courthouse was a log structure and jail built in the same year. In 1859, the second courthouse was brick structure was built at a cost of $4,000. The second courthouse was built on this site and was a two-story building with the first floor was divided up into four large offices for county officials, and the courtroom was on the second floor. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1909 to 1910.
County Courthouse – Hampton
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2011, 2019 and 2025
Images 14*