Scattered Memories
The History of Scott County
Article 1
The Old Courthouse / Scott County Museum of History
Welcome to the Scott County History Segment of the newly revived Waldron News! This section will feature a bi-weekly article about the rich history of Scott County, Arkansas and will strive to educate readers about a variety of interesting topics in an accurate manner. What better topic for our flagship article than the architectural crown jewel of downtown Waldron, The Old Scott County Courthouse and Museum.
In 1933, a fire destroyed the 1904 courthouse built by a Mr. Creech and J. L. McCartney.
County Judge J. F. Martin found temporary housing for local government offices and soon began construction on a new courthouse. Voters approved a five-mill tax to fund building costs, but fiscal challenges remained. After the Great Depression brought widespread unemployment, Scott County faced hardships as the local
lumber industry declined. County administrators found aid in New Deal policies when the
Works Progress Administration (WPA) appropriated funds for labor costs on the 1934 Scott County Courthouse’s construction.
Fort Smith architects T. E. Bassham and Carnall Wheeler designed the red brick building in a heightened Art Deco style, which included a tall granite panel over the entrance bay. Designers kept the interior plain, with concrete walls over a brick dado. The first floor consisted of the offices for the county judge, sheriff, clerk, treasurer and other administrative offices. The courtroom on the second floor included concrete benches for prisoners awaiting their legal proceedings. The building is unique in that it has three separate third floor corridors. One staircase went to the third floor, where Scott County housed its jail. Another lead to the Farm Security Administration office, which later became the nurse’s office. The third corridor, off the courtroom, lead to the jury deliberation room and WPA Office. The building also has two separate basements. The largest originally contained the county hall, welfare office and Agricultural Adjustment Act offices. The second smaller basement was accessible through the Sheriff’s office and contained the boiler room, coal room and a cooler cell for prisoners.
The Old Courthouse deteriorated as time passed, especially after Scott County moved its county offices to the new facility in 1996. Preservation efforts have restored a portion of the building since 1989, including a 2013 AHPP grant of $75,000 for rehabilitation of the first level. In 2016, renovations continued on the basement, but water leakage has continued despite numerous other efforts to prevent it.
After sitting empty for two decades and with little interest in occupying the empty spaces, new life would be breathed into the structure in the Spring of 2021 when the Scott County Museum of History was established. There were talks and proposals for a museum in Scott County dating back to 2017, but no thorough effort was ever made. Local business owner Gary Blythe had talked for several years about potentially donating his personal museum collection to the county for further public enjoyment. Gary was eventually approached by local historians Ty Richardson and Carolyn Hanna in the Fall of 2020 about donating his collection and helping to establish a new museum in the old courthouse. After several months of deliberation, Gary agreed that his collection should be passed on for future generations to enjoy.
Ty and Carolyn began working with Gary and Judge James Forbes on establishing the museum in the old courthouse. Work began immediately in the Spring of 2021 to finalize rehabilitation of the first floor, as well as relocating the entirety of Blythe's Museum to its new home. The Scott County Museum of History became a designated 501c3 organization in January of 2022 and the museum was officially opened on May 14, 2022. The museum currently boasts an impressive collection of Native American artifacts, along with thousands of other unique items related to Scott County’s History. Ty Richardson is the current Director/Curator, while Carolyn Hanna is a sitting board member and Liaison for the Historical Society. The museum is currently thriving and actively seeks funds and grant opportunities with the help of the county to continue restoration and preservation efforts on the Old Courthouse.
Sources Used:
Photos submitted by: Ty Richardson & James Malone Kirkendall
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