Cleburne County is named for Patrick Cleburne, who was a Confederate General during the American Civil War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Stone County
E – Independence County and White County
S – White County and Faulkner County
W – Van Buren County
Created: February 20, 1883
County Seat:
Heber Springs 1883 – present
County Courthouse – Heber Springs
Location: 301 West Main Street / South 3rd Street
Built: 1914 – 1915
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: Clyde A Ferrell of Little Rock
Contractor: A M Byrnes of Fayetteville
Description: The building faces north and is a two story dark buff colored brick, cast stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Heber Springs. The north front of the building has a center portico with four tall Doric columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The east and west front section extend forward from the building. The south side has an identical portico and façade. Cast stone is used for cornices, windowsills, and lintels. On the center of the roof is an octagonal cupola with dome. In the interior are patterned ceramic floor tiles, marble wainscoting and stairways. There are stamped metal ceilings. On the second story is the County Circuit Court courtroom located along the north side. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 16th Judicial Circuit. During construction, the superintendent was C C Howell. On the northwest side is the County Courthouse Annex and on the northeast side is the County Judge’s Office. To the south is the County District Court Courthouse.
See: The architect, Clyde A Ferrell of Little Rock also designed courthouses in Montgomery County and Stone County.
County Judge’s Office – Heber Springs
Location: 300 West Main Street / North 3rd Street
Built: 1914
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Charles L Thompson
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Heber Springs across from the courthouse. The building features a distinctive recessed chamfered corner entrance with two-story fluted Ionic columns. The building also features rusticated brick pilasters, transom windows, and a dentiled cornice. The building was formerly the Cleburne County Bank and now houses the office of the County Judge..
County District Court Courthouse – Heber Springs
Location: 922 South 9th Street / Martin Street
Built: 2011 – 2012
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Dayco Construction Inc. of Damascus.
Description: The building faces east and is a two story buff colored frame, stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the southwest of the center of Heber Springs and the courthouse. The east front has a projecting center section with a one story canopy at the entrance and horizontal windows on the second story. The building extends outwards going west. The hipped roof is green colored. There are two courtrooms located on the first and second stories. The building houses the District Court.
See: The 16th Judicial Circuit includes Fulton County, Independence County, Izard County and Stone County.
Note: The County District Court was previously housed in the old Federal Building at 102 East Main Street from 1991 to 2013. The building was constructed in 1936 to 1937 for use as the Post Office and was expanded in 1962.
History: The county was created in 1883 and Heber Springs was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a two story frame structure built by Max Franthal, A R Witt and W C Watkins in 1884 to 1886. The courthouse became a hotel and was later destroyed by fire. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1914 to 1915 at a cost of $65,000. The County District Court Courthouse was constructed in 2011 to 2012 at a cost of $3,039,000.
County Courthouse – Heber Springs
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Heber Springs
Photos taken 2011 and 2025
Images 15*