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Greene County

The Territorial Legislature from part of Lawrence County formed Greene County on November 5, 1833. It was named for Nathaniel Greene, an American General in the Revolutionary War. The county seat is Paragould. Greene County has rich, flat delta farmland in the eastern and western parts of the county and rolling hills in the center that includes Crowley's Ridge. In the early days, railroads hauled timber out of the county but as more people settled in the area, agriculture replaced timber as a principal activity with top crops being rice, soybeans, and small grains. Crowley's Ridge rises above the flat delta on both sides and is composed of ocean-bottom sand, gravel, and clay, capped with wind-blown dust. Crowley's Ridge State Park developed in 1933 is located in a forest of hardwood and pine on the western slope. There are several recreational facilities, including swimming, canoeing and sand beaches. Also located on the grounds are a pioneer cemetery and the home site of Benjamin F. Crowley, a veteran of the War of 1812, after whom the ridge was named. Lake Frierson, Lake Hubble and the Bland and Little Rivers offer good fishing. Hunters also enjoy two wildlife management areas. The St. Francis River, which forms the county's eastern border with Missouri and the Cache River along the western border, offers fishing and hunting. This is a very popular area for local citizens as well as many tourists. Greene County now enjoys a new courthouse that was completed in 1997. The new complex has 39,000 square feet. The building and furnishings were completed at a cost of $4.1 million. In August of 1995, the county voters approved a 1-cent, countywide sales tax to pay for the courthouse. The new courthouse has a link from the county's earliest days with the display of the fireproof safe that dated from the 1877 courthouse at Gainesville. The safe, which weighs between 8,000 and 10,000 pounds, is located to the right of the doors on the north side of the building.