Izard County - American Courthouses

Izard County is named for George Izard, who was a Governor of the Missouri Territory and a General during the War of 1812.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Fulton County

E – Sharp County

S – Independence County and Stone County

W – Stone County and Baxter County

Created: October 27, 1825

County Seat:

Liberty (Norfolk) 1825 – 1830

Athens 1830 – 1836

Mount Olive 1836 – 1846

Mount Vernon 1846 – 1875

Melbourne 1875 – present

County Courthouse – Melbourne

Location: Courthouse Square / East Main Street

Built: 1939

Style: Art Deco

Architect: Erhart & Eichenbaum of Little Rock

Contractor: Civilian Conservation Corps ( CCC ) from Camp Sage near Sage

Description: The building faces north and is a two story gray colored stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Melbourne. The north front has a central stone framed entrance on the first story. There are east and west projecting lower wings. The roof line is flat. In the interior, the County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the north side of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 16th Judicial Circuit. The building was a National Youth Administration Project. On the west side is the County Courthouse Annex.

See: The courthouse is similar in design to the courthouse in Independence County.

County Criminal Justice Facility – Melbourne

Location: 300 Circle Drive / Highway 9

Built: 2003

Style: Modern

Architect: Taggart Foster Currence Gray Architects Inc.

Contractor: Noacon, Inc.

Description: The building faces north and is a one story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the west of the center of Melbourne. The north central entrance is recessed and the roof is hipped. In the interior is a County Circuit Court courtroom located on the northwest side. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 16th Judicial Circuit. The building is named as the Lawrence–Blackley Criminal Justice Facility.

See: The 16th Judicial Circuit includes Cleburne County, Fulton County, Independence County and Stone County.

History: The county was created in 1825 and Liberty (Norfolk) was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was the Jacob Wolf House near Norfolk then known as Liberty (Baxter County), built by Jacob Wolf in 1829 and is still standing and located in Baxter County. In 1830 the county seat was moved to Athens. In 1834 the second courthouse was a frame structure built in Athens. In 1836 the county seat was moved to Mount Olive and the third courthouse was built the same year. In 1846 the county seat was moved to Mount Vernon and the fourth courthouse was built in the same year. In 1875 the county seat was moved to Melbourne and the fifth courthouse was built in 1878, the sixth courthouse was built in 1890 and the seventh courthouse was designed by Clyde Ferrell and constructed by L R Wright in 1913. The courthouse burned in 1937 and the eight and present courthouse was constructed in 1939. The County Criminal Justice Facility was constructed in 2003.