AAC
Family & Friends
» » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »
Above: The 1932 Drew County Courthouse is located in Monticello, which was likely named for Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia. Despite the economic upheaval of the Great Depression, Drew County voters approved construction of the project — and a tax to pay for it.
Surviving the Times Drew County Courthouse remains center of public life after history of adversity. Story by Mark Christ s Photos by Holly Hope Arkansas Historic Preservation Program
W
ith a splendid courthouse erected during the depths of the Great Depression, Drew County’s seat of government stands today as a testament to the determination of the county’s residents to triumph over adversity, and the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program has worked with the county since 2000 to ensure it will remain a center of public life in Monticello. Settlers came to Drew County around 1837, and court 36
proceedings were held in a village called Rough and Ready near modern-day Monticello; legends of feuds, fights and murder indicated it was aptly named. The county was formed from parts of Bradley and Arkansas counties in 1846 and was named for Thomas Stevenson Drew, who would be elected governor of Arkansas from 1844 to 1849. Drew County’s current boundaries were not solidified until 1873, when its boundary with Chicot County was finally settled. When Drew County was formed, its people decided they needed a perhaps more respectable location for the county seat, and in 1849 Fountain C. and Polly Austin donated 83 acres for the town site, which was likely named for Thomas COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2017
