"Against the slate blue sky of waking Spring, the Redbuds puff their purple-pink clouds on high, there it lies-Arkansas-Ouachita County-Bearden."  Those words from John Gould Fletcher, in his Epic of Arkansas, commemorate another of the population centers of the county.

Prior to the Civil War, that area of the county was known as "Quality Ridge."  But with the arrival of the Cotton Belt Railroad and the booming development of the timber industry, a community that would become "Bearden"  was named to honor the Ouachita County Judge at the time, Judge Bearden, when it was incorporated on January 5, 1892.  As the area became a town, four sawmills were located within six miles of Bearden, and those industries employed two thousand men.  The area was also considered a healthy place to live; water was plentiful, and land was selling for $8 to $20 an acre.

As with all the areas of Ouachita County, family names were associated with the birth and development of Bearden:  Gatling, Sorrells, Juniel, Fultz, Dickenson, Mosley, and Anthony, to name but a few.  W. M. Gatling had a post office that was known as the Gatling Post Office, and some residents expressed a desire to name the new town in his honor when it was incorporated. However, Bearden was chosen instead.  Gatling also erected the first brick building in town with the bricks being made on the Earle farm outside of town.  The Earle home was once a tavern stop of a stage coach line that came into Camden to stop at the Chidester House.

By 1900 Bearden was boasting a population of 1,200 people, and, through the years it continued to grow and develop.  No longer an agricultural or timber center, Bearden had businesses such as Bear Brand Roofing, Inc.,  Bearden Enterprises,  Anthony Lumber Company,  and the Bearden Hardwood Dimension Company  which became the economic standard bearers as the town entered its modern era.  Also,  Bearden has been recognized for having one of the very best school systems in the state, teaching full common and high school courses, and employing the best teachers.

Bearden celebrated its Centennial Birthday during celebrations that were staged on July 2, 3,  and 4,  1982.  Today,  it remains as one of the population centers of Ouachita County.