Poinsett

Formed February 28, 1838 (37^th county)

Poinsett County (22,965), Harrisburg (2,217), Trumann (7,399)

The majestic dome courthouse at Market and Center streets sits on a square.  It was built in 1918.  Mitchell Selligman is the facility designer in Beaux Arts style.  Arkansas State Highway 14 is one block north.  The county was organized on February 28, 1838 from Greene and Lawrence counties as the 37^th county.  Bolivar had the first courthouse.  In 1857 the county seat was moved to Harrisburg where three courthouses have been located.  Poinsett County was named for Joel R. Poinsett, United States Secretary of War.  Harrisburg was named for Benjamin Harris, Sr. who donated the land for the county seat. 

Poinsett County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 11 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Eleven Circuit Court Judges serve Poinsett, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, and Mississippi counties and a District Court Judge, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Poinsett County (judicial.)  The county is in the northeast of the state.  Jonesboro, Arkansas is north and Memphis, Tennessee is southeast of the county.  The center of the county is 6.6 miles Northeast of Harrisburg.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Craighead, Mississippi, Crittenden, Cross, and Jackson counties.  The county is a rectangle with Harrisburg situated slightly west of the county center.  Trumann is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Harrisburg is the county seat and Trumann is the largest city.  Harrisburg is 9.7% of the county population while Trumann is 32.2% of the county population.  

The area of the county is 763.4 square miles.  It is 23 of 75 in size.  It ranks 27 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 30.1 persons per square mile making it 29 out of 75 in the state.  Poinsett County has 66.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 49 crosses the western side from Craighead County on the north to Cross County on the south.  United States Highway 63 crosses the eastern side from the north, Craighead County, to the southeast, Crittenden County.  The county is in the Jonesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area.