Formation of Nevada County

From: Officials of City of Prescott and Nevada County, Arkansas, compiled by Randolph P. Hamby, 1950.

Nevada County, Arkansas was created by an act of legislature approved March 20, 1871 being carved out of Hempstead, Ouachita and Columbia counties, and its first officers, who were appointed by acting Governor O. D. Hadley, were County Judge D. C. Tuttle, Clerk A. B. Parsons, Sheriff J. S. Vandergriff, Treasurer T. W. Hammon, Assessor John Meeks, Coroner Samuel Weaver, Surveyor W. H. Prescott.

The county was named for the state of the same name and means " snow-covered". Mount Moriah was the temporary county seat where courts were held until the permanent county seat was located at Rosston in the winter of 1871. By an act approved April 19, 1873 the legislature ceded to Columbia county six section of township 15 range 20 which were in the original county of Nevada. The county seat was moved to Prescott August 13, 1877.

The area of the county is approximately 620 square miles. The western boundary is 35 miles long and the eastern 22 miles, while the width is 21 miles. The average elevation of the county is 300 feet above sea level.

Nevada was the 63rd county formed in Arkansas and the 47th in area. It is in the 17th Senatorial District, the 6th Chancery District, the 8th Judicial Circuit and the 7th Congressional District.

The first court house was erected in Prescott in 1884 and was razed in 1911 when the present structure was erected at a cost of $45,000.00, Thomas C. McRae Sr., C. C. Hamby and J. J. Hirst being the commissionners and A. M. Denman county Judge.