Our View

Our View

A Tale of two County Seats

For any city to have the unique distinction of being the so-called “county seat” denotes a sense of community pride and special importance. The focal point of the county seat is its impressive and usually historic courthouse similar to the one in Crittenden County’s county seat of Marion.

In Arkansas, there just happens to be 10 counties that have the unusual situation of having two county seats, and let’s make it vividly clear, that residents of those cities take their designation very, very seriously.

Since 1912, our neighbors to the north in Mississippi County have had two county seats, one in Blytheville and the other in Osceola.

For years now, there has been an attempt by Blytheville leaders to consolidate the two, with their city designated as the county seat of Mississippi County.

Even now, we’re told there is a planned Aug. 9 election that would create a sales tax plan to build a new courthouse in Blytheville and close the one in Osceola. As expected, residents of Osceola will have absolutely no part in such a tactic and a group opposing the plan has sued to stop the election.

The lawsuit, filed in Mississippi County Circuit Court on behalf of the city of Osceola and two residents, names County Judge Randy Carney, the Mississippi County Quorum Court members, Mississippi County Clerk Janice Currie and the county’s Board of Elections.

Let’s make it clear, there is a lot of history that goes with being the county seat of any county and something that residents of those cities are very passionate about, as to be expected.

Let’s take Marion for instance. It was incorporated in 1896, but the community predates that significantly.

The site of Marion was actually part of the Louisiana (New Spain) from 1764 to 1803, when it became Louisiana (New France). Some of the oldest land titles in the area are from Spanish land grants from a time prior to the Louisiana Purchase. After the Louisiana Purchase the area was part of the Arkansas Territory.

And, during the 1830s the Trail of Tears, the forced removal of Native Americans from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, passed through the area.

Now, as far as Mississippi County is concerned, it has had two county courthouses for nearly a century and Osceola was chosen as the county seat initially, and a 16,600-square-foot courthouse was built there in 1912. It wasn’t until seven years later that a courthouse was built in Blytheville after it was designated as a second judicial district in Mississippi County. Why, you ask, are there two courthouses? Well, it is believed they were built to ensure people back in those days could travel to a courthouse and back home by horse within a day’s time.

Let’s be totally honest and say that the existence of two separate governmental entities is redundant and, in this day and time, an unnecessary financial burden on local tax dollars.

But, by the same token, and as we’ve pointed out, there is a strong emotional link to both sides of this issue and one that the voters of Mississippi County must address.

If there is the choice to maintain two county seats, with two separate courthouses that virtually provide the same services, then it is because the voters have come to the conclusion that that is exactly what they want and are willing to accept the costs.

If there is a vote on this issue, then it should pertain specifically to whether or not their should be two county seats and not whether or not to impose additional taxation or building a new courthouse in Blytheville.