Hot Spring County is named for the naturally occurring hot springs in the area.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Garland County and Saline County
E – Grant County
S – Dallas County and Clark County
W – Clark County and Montgomery County
Created: November 2, 1829
County Seat:
Hot Springs 1829 – 1844
Rockport 1844 – 1878
Malvern 1878 – present
County Courthouse – Malvern
Location: 210 Locust Street / West 2nd Street
Built: 1936 – 1937
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Thompson, Sanders & Ginnochio
Contractor: William Peterson
Description: The building faces northeast and is a three story buff colored brick and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Malvern. The northeast side has a projecting north and south two story wings with a recessed center section. The projecting sections are lower than the central section with pilasters between the windows on the first and second stories. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the north side of the second story. A small courtroom is also located on the north side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit. To the south is the County District Court housed in the Malvern City Hall
See: National Register of Historic Places – Hot Spring County Courthouse
See: The 7th Judicial Circuit includes Grant County.
History: The county was created in 1829 and Hot Springs was selected as the county seat. In 1844, the county seat was moved to Rockport and the first courthouse was a frame structure built. The second courthouse was a brick structure bui.t in the 1860’s. The courthouse was destroyed by fire on January 23, 1873. The court met in the lower level of the jail. In 1878, the county seat was moved to Malvern. The third courthouse was a brick Queen Anne style structure built in 1888 at a cost of $16,000. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1935 to 1936 at a cost of $150,000.
County Courthouse – Malvern
County Circuit Court courtroom
County Circuit Court small courtroom
Photos taken 2011 and 2017
Images 14*