Dallas County is named for George M Dallas, who was the eleventh Vice President of the United States of America.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Hot Spring County and Grant County
E – Grant County and Cleveland County
S – Calhoun County and Ouachita County
W – Clark County
Created: January 1, 1845
County Seat:
Princeton 1845 – 1908
Fordyce 1908 – present
County Courthouse – Fordyce
Location: 206 West 3rd Street / Oak Street
Built: 1911 – 1912
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: Frank W Gibb of Little Rock
Contractor: Edgar L Koonce
Description: The building faces south and is a two story brown colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Fordyce. The building has a raised concrete basement. The south front has a large portico with four white colored columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The west and east sides have a small porches. A wide white colored band runs below the roof line. On the center of the roof is a white colored cupola with black colored dome. In the interior are rich, dark woodwork, marble wainscoting, marble walls and octagonal tile floors. In 2005, a mural was painted on the hallway ceiling of the first story by Dallas County resident Joann Dissie. The courtroom is located on the second story and has panels engraved with geometric designs and historic wood railings. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit.
See: The architect, Frank W Gibb of Little Rock also designed courthouses in Bradley County, Calhoun County, Conway County, Franklin County, Phillips County and Yell County.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Dallas County Courthouse
See: The 13th Judicial Circuit includes Calhoun County, Cleveland County, Columbia County, Ouachita County and Union County.
History: The county was created in 1845 and Princeton was selected as the county seat. The first courts were held in the home of Presley Watts. The first courthouse was a log structure built in 1846 on the east side of the town square in Princeton at a cost of $6,000. The second courthouse was a two story frame structure built in 1854 in the center of the square. In 1908, the county seat was moved to Fordyce and the county occupied the second story of the McKee Building until 1912. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1911 to 1912 at a cost of $65,000.
County Courthouse – Fordyce
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2011, 2019 and 2025
Images 15*