Fulton

Formed December 21, 1842 (46^th county)

Fulton County (12,077), Salem (1,574)

The 1892 red brick courthouse in Salem is located on a square at Main, Locust, Pickren, and Church streets.  Arkansas State Highway 9 is Main Street in this part of the town.  The architect is unknown for the Second Empire style courthouse.  The building was remodeled in 1974.  There was an earlier version of the courthouse dating for 1843.  Pilot Hill was the first county seat followed by Salem in 1844.  The county seat gets its name from the Hebrew word for “peace.”  The county’s namesake was United States Senator William Fulton.  Fulton County was taken from Izard County on December 21, 1842 as the 46^th county. 

Fulton County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 9 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Four Circuit Court Judges serve Fulton, Cleburne, Independence, Izard, and Stone counties and a District Court Judge, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Fulton County (judicial.)  The county is located in far north Arkansas on the border with Missouri.  Little Rock, Arkansas is South and Jonesboro, Arkansas is Southeast of the county.  The center of the county is 3.2 miles East-Northeast of Salem.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Missouri and Sharp, Izard, and Baxter counties.  The county is a flat rectangle with a small cutout in the southeast corner.  Salem is slightly west of center.  Salem is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 13.0% of the county population.  

The area of the county is 620.3 square miles.  It is 53 of 75 in size.  It ranks 56 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.5 persons per square mile making it 56 out of 75 in the state.  Fulton County has 31.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highways 62/412 cross from east to west, Sharp County to Baxter County.  United States Highway 63 crosses the extreme eastern part of the county from Missouri (north) to Sharp County (south). 

Horseshoe Bend