Yell County Courthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Yell County Courthouse
|
|
 |
|
 Yell County Courthouse
Location in Arkansas
|
|
| Location | 209 Union St., Dardanelle, Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1914 |
| Built by | L. R. Wight and Company |
| Architect | Frank W. Gibb |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001176 |
| Added to NRHP | September 8, 1992 |
The Yell County Courthouse is an important building in Dardanelle, Arkansas, United States. It's one of two main offices for Yell County. This courthouse was built in 1914. It was recognized as a special historical place in 1992. This building is the second courthouse for the Dardanelle area of Yell County.
History of the Courthouse
Yell County was formed in 1840. It was made from parts of Scott and Pope counties. The first courthouse was in Monrovia. It soon moved to Danville to be more in the middle of the county.
After the American Civil War, Dardanelle became a second county seat in 1875. A county seat is like a main office for the county's government. Arkansas has ten counties that have two county seats.
The first courthouse in Dardanelle was a business building. It was on Front Street. This building burned down on April 12, 1912. Because of the fire, the county bought new land on Union Street. They wanted to build a new courthouse there.
The county hired Frank W. Gibb to design the new building. He was a very busy architect. Gibb designed about 60 courthouses in Arkansas. He also designed the Arkansas Building for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. The Buckstaff Bathhouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas was another one of his designs.
L.R. Wight and Company from Dallas, Texas built the courthouse. They finished it for less than $25,000. That was a lot of money back in 1914!
Building Design and Style
The Yell County Courthouse looks a lot like the Dallas County Courthouse in Fordyce. Frank W. Gibb also designed that building in 1911.
The Yell County Courthouse shows details of the neoclassical style. This style often uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. The front of the building is balanced and even on both sides. It has Doric columns and white trim. These features are typical of the neoclassical style. An eight-sided decoration sits on top of the T-shaped building's roof.
Confederate Monument Nearby
The Dardanelle Confederate Monument is on Union Street. It is near the courthouse. The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) put it there in 1921. This monument was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It is part of a group of sculptures that remember the Civil War.
