Fulton County is named for William Savin Fulton, who as the last Governor of the Arkansas Territory.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Ozark County, Missouri, Howell County, Missouri and Oregon County, Missouri
E – Sharp County
S – Sharp County and Izard County
W – Baxter County
Created: December 21, 1842
County Seat:
Pilot Hill 1842 – 1844
Salem 1844 – present
County Courthouse – Salem
Location: 123 South Main Street / West Church Street
Built: 1891 – 1892
Style: Second Empire
Architect: Arthur Boyle
Contractor: Arthur Boyle
Description: The building faces east and is a two story dark red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Salem. The east front has a canopy at the entrance. There are one story north and south wings. The roof line is flat. When constructed, the courthouse was three stories with the upper story being used by the F & AM Lodge and the IOOF Lodge. In the interior the former courtroom is located on the second story and is now the Quorum Court Meeting Room. During construction, the carpenters were W J Grant and Matt Chestnut and the contractor, Arthur Boyle made the bricks. The architect and the contractor was Arthur Boyle. A double staircase was built on the west side in 1934. In 1960, a room was built on the south side. The building was remodeled in 1973 with the third story being removed. In 1986, an office was built on the southwest corner for the clerk’s office. In 1997, a one story north wing was constructed.
County Courthouse Annex– Salem
Location: 455 North Main Street / Mize Street
Built: 2022 – 2023
Style: Modern
Architect: Laurence D Bronson Architect of Cherokee Village
Contractor: Provence Construction Company Inc. of Cave City
Description: The building faces southwest and is a one story steel and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds to the north of the center of Salem. The west front has a central portico supported by four pillars. The roof line is slopped. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the southeast side and the County District Court courtroom is located on the northwest side. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 16th Judicial District and the County District Court of the 14th Judicial District.
See: The 16th Judicial Circuit includes Cleburne County, Independence County, Izard County and Stone County.
History: The county was created in 1842 and the home of Peter Grounds at Pilot Hill (Salem) was designated as the county seat and the first courthouse. The county seat was named as Salem in 1844 after William P Morris offered a plat of land at no cost. The second courthouse was a two story log structure erected on the public square. The courthouse was burned during the Civil War. The third courthouse, a log structure was built in 1866 during the Civil War. This courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1870. The fourth courthouse was a two story frame structure built in 1871 by Wainwright and Smothers at a cost of $3,313. The courthouse burned on May 8, 1890. The fifth and present brick courthouse was constructed in 1891 to 1892 by Arthur Boyle at a cost of $9,975. The County Courthouse Annex was constructed in 2022 to 2023 at a cost of $1,430,000.
County Courthouse – Salem
Former Courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Salem
County District Court courtroom
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2011, 2025 and 2026
Images 17*