Drew

Formed November 26, 1846 (50^th county)

Drew County (17,348), Monticello (8,441)

The courthouse is made of concrete and located at the corner of Main and Shelton.  H. Ray Burks designed this Art Deco style structure.  The 1932 building is located two blocks south of Arkansas State Highway 4.  It was renovated in 1975.  There was an earlier courthouse in Monticello.  The county was named for Governor Thomas S. Drew.  Monticello was named for Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia.  Drew County was cut from Bradley, Chicot, Desha, and Union counties on November 26, 1846 as the 50^th county.  Rough and Ready Hill was the original county seat with Monticello claiming the seat in 1850. 

Drew County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 9 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Five Circuit Court Judges serve Drew, Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, and Desha counties and a District Court Judge, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Drew County (judicial.)  The county is situated in southeast Arkansas.  Pine Bluff, Arkansas is northwest.  The center of the county is 8.8 miles South-Southeast of Monticello nearer Cominto.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lincoln, Desha, Chicot, Ashley, Bradley, and Cleveland counties.  The Saline River makes up the southwest border.  The Bartholomew River crosses the eastern part of the county.  The county is basically a square.  Monticello is in the northwest quarter of the county.  Monticello is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 48.7% of the county population.  The county is pronounced DRUE.  The county seat is pronounced MONT-I-SEL-O.

The area of the county is 835.7 square miles.  It is 14 of 75 in size.  It ranks 39 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 20.8 persons per square mile making it 52 out of 75 in the state.  Drew County has 52.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highways 65/165 jointly cross the northeast coming from and going to Desha County.  United States Highway 278 enters from Desha County on the east and exits into Bradley County on the west.  United States Highway 425 crosses north to south, Lincoln County to Ashley County.