Pike County, Arkansas originated from Clark and Hempstead counties by an
act of the Arkansas Territorial Legislature passed on November 1, 1833. The
residence of Paschal C. Sorrels was designated as the temporary place for
county jurisdiction. John Dickson, Elijah Kelley and Rice Stringer were
elected commissioners in January 1834 to locate the seat of justice for the
county and elected as county civil officers were, Washington Sorrels county
judge, David S. Dickson clerk, John Hughes sheriff and John M. Dickson
coronor.
Settlements had been prior made within the county limits, Wolf Creek and
Little Missouri, east, the Brewer settlement on Muddy Fork, west, and a few
families at the point of the place selected for the county seat. A log
courthouse and a small frame building for the clerk's office were erected
and in October 1834 the county commissioners reported a house ready for the
reception of the court "in the town of Murfreesboro the county seat of Pike
County."
Pike County Court House 1897-1933
Pike County Court House to Present-day
Pike County Court House 1897-1933
Pike County Court House to Present-day
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Territory of Arkansas,
County of Pike,
Circuit Court of Said County.
October Term, A.D. 1834
This day, Elijah Kelley, Rice Stringer, and John Dickson, Commissioners of
the County of Pike, and filed their report in writing; stating that a House
was ready for the reception of the Court in the Town of Murfreesboro, the
county seat of Pike County.
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State of Arkansas,
County of Pike.
I, David S. Dickson, clerk of the circuit court in and for the county and
state aforesaid, do hereby certify that this is a true copy of the record
of the report of the Commissioners of Pike County made at the October term
of the circuit court in eighteen hundred and thirty-four, as the same now
stands upon file of record in my office. In testimony whereof, I have
hereunto set my hand and affix the seal of office, this 14th day of
February, A.D. 1840.
D.S. Dickson, Clk.
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John Hughes, Robert McDonield and Fountaine G. Stone, a majority of the
commissioners appointed by an Act of the General Assembly of the state of
Arkansas, entitled, "an act to appoint additional commissioners to sell
lots in the town of Murfreesborough, in the county of Pike, and for other
purposes, approved on the ninth day of December in the year of Christ,
eighteen hundred and thirty-seven," being first duly sworn, depose and say:
THAT by an act of the Legislature of the late territory of Arkansas,
approved on the first day of November in the year eighteen hundred and
thirty-three, the county of Pike in the state of Arkansas, was erected and
established; that in compliance with another act passed at the same session
of the Territorial Legislature, Elijah Kelley, Rice Stringer and John
Dickson were elected commissioners to select a place for and locate the
seat of justice for the said county of Pike; that after they received their
certificates of election as such commissioners, they entered upon the
discharge of the duty required of them as such commissioners; that they
proceed(ed) to select a place for and locate the seat of justice of Pike
county, Arkansas, and located the same upon a portion of the unsurveyed
public lands of the United States of America; that they made a report of
the place selected and upon which they located the seat of justice of Pike
county and to which they gave the name of Murfreesborough, to the circuit
(court) of said county, sometime in the year eighteen hundred and
thirty-four, which said report and location was approved of by the said
court, and the place selected by them and upon which they located the seat
of justice of Pike county was declared to be the seat of justice of the
county of Pike, and the books, papers and records belonging to the circuit
court of Pike county, was then removed to the place selected for and upon
which the seat of justice of the said county of Pike, was located by said
commissioners; that there has been and now is, erected at the place at
which the seat of justice of Pike county, Arkansas was located by said
commissioners, a court house, where all the courts of said county are held,
and there is also a jail erected thereon; that the site agreed upon by said
commissioners and by them selected, as for the location of the seat of
justice, was on the north-west quarter of section seventeen in township
numbered eight, south of range twenty-five west, at & upon which place all
the courts of Pike county have been and continue to be held since the
location thereon of the seat of justice of Pike county, by the
commissioners aforesaid, in the year eighteen hundred and thirty-four, and
the approval of their report and location by the circuit court of the
county of Pike, as aforesaid; ...
John Hughes
Robert McDonield
Fountaine Stone
Majority of the commissioners appointed to sell lots in the town of
Murfreesborough. Sworn & subscribed to before me, the 17th Feb. 1840.
R.L. Phillips, J.P.
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The State of Arkansas,
County of Hempstead.
Be it remembered, that on this, the 17th day of February A.D. 1840,
personally appeared the above named, John Hughes, Robert McDonield and
Fountaine Stone, commissioners to sell lots in the town of Murfreesborough,
in the county of Pike in the state of Arkansas, and being first duly sworn,
state: that the matters and things stated and set forth in the foregoing
statement and affidavit, so far as they are founded on their own knowledge,
are true in substance and in fact, and as far as they are stated from the
information of others, they believe them to be true. In testimony whereof,
I, Robert L. Phillips, an acting justice of the peace of Hempstead county,
in the state of Arkansas, have hereto set my hand and seal, this 17th
Feby., A.D. 1840.
R.L. Phillips, J.P.
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The State of Arkansas, County of Hempstead. Be it remembered, that on this,
the 17th day of February, A.D. 1840, personally appeared Asa Thompson, John
Dickson, Rice Stringer and David S. Dickson, citizens of Pike county in the
state of Arkansas, before me, the undersigned justice of the peace, in and
for the county of Hempstead in the state of Arkansas, and being first duly
sworn, made and subscribed the following affidavit, to wit: that the
matters and things stated and set forth in the within and foregoing
statement of John Hughes, Robert McDonield and Fountaine Stone, a majority
of the commissioners appointed to sell lots in the town of Murfreesborough
in the county of Pike in the state of Arkansas, are true in substance and
in fact.
Asa Thompson
John Dickson
Rice Stringer
D.S. Dickson
Sworn and subscribed to before me, this 17th Feby. 1840.
R.L. Phillips, J.P.
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Land Office, Washington, Arks., 19th Feb. 1840.
We are personally acquainted with Asa Thompson, John Dickson & Rice
Stringer who signed as witnesses to the foregoing deposition & know them to
be respectable & entitled to credit.
D.T. Witter, Rcr.
R.L. Phillips, J.P.
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With the erection of a new county in progress and the locating of the seat
of justice by the elected commissioners a post office was needed to serve
the county seat and residents of the new town of Murfreesboro and vicinity.
Asa Thompson made application for this post office which was approved and
established as the "Zebulon" post office on May 29, 1834 and became the
first postmaster with Rice Stringer and John Hughes providing bond as his
security in the amount of $300 on July 4, 1834. The Zebulon post office was
eventually located at the county court house after it was completed and
ready in October 1834. Asa Thompson remained as postmaster until he was
replaced by David S. Dickson on November 6, 1835. John Hughes became
postmaster on April 13, 1837 and was succeeded by Jesse Jenkins on April
26, 1838.
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David Kelley 1997