Monroe

Formed November 2, 1829 (19^th county)

Monroe County (6,799), Clarendon (1,664), Brinkley (3,188)                

The clock tower and turrets to the 1911 brown brick courthouse make it stand out. It is on Madison between Main and 2^nd streets.  United States Highway 79 is six blocks south of the site.  Charles L. Thompson was the architect of the Romanesque Revival building.  The county was created on November 2, 1829 from parts of Arkansas and Phillips counties as the 19^th county.  Monroe County is named for the fifth United States President, James Monroe.  Clarendon was named for Earl Henry Hyde Clarendon. 

Monroe County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 9 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Five Circuit Court Judges serve Monroe, Cross, Lee, Phillips, Saint Francis and Woodruff counties and Two District Court Judges, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Monroe County (judicial.)  The county is located in the east central Arkansas, east of Little Rock, Arkansas and west of Memphis, Tennessee.  The center of the county is 17.4 miles Southeast of Clarendon nearer Pine City.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Woodruff, St. Francis, Lee, Phillips, Arkansas, and Prairie counties.  The county is a lazy L shape and very tall.  

The area of the county is 621.4 square miles.  It is 51 of 75 in size.  It ranks 71 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 10.9 persons per square mile making it 70 out of 75 in the state.  Monroe County has 70.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses the north of the county from St. Francis County, east, to Prairie County, west.  United States Highway 63 crosses north to south from Woodruff County to Phillips County.  United States Highway 70 parallels Interstate Highway 40 from St. Francis to Prairie counties.  United States Highway 79 goes diagonally from Lee County, east, to Arkansas County, south.  The White River forms most of the western border.  Clarendon has been the only county seat.  Clarendon is slightly north and to the west of the county center.  Brinkley is the top northern quarter of the county.  Clarendon is the county seat and Brinkley is the largest city.  Clarendon is 24.5% of the county population while Brinkley is 46.9% of the county population.