The Ouachita County Court House was built in 1933 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U. S. Department of the Interior November 13, 1989.  It is the 15th property in the county to be added to the official inventory of significant historic sites in the United States.

The present courthouse is the fourth to serve Ouachita County since the county was created in 1842 from what had been part of Union County.  The first courthouse was a gift of John Nunn in 1842.

The county's name was derived from the Indian word, "Washita", the sound being developed by French spelling.  The loss of the courthouse in 1931, destroyed by a tornado that struck Camden, came at a difficult time as Ouachita county, like the rest of the nation, was in the grips of the Great Depression. 

The court house was a WPA project.  It was built by William Peterson,a Little Rock contractor for a contracted price of $46,050.  Construction was completed in August, 1933.

 

The above is an excerpt from the original article written by Mr. Kenneth W. Poindexter, Editor of the Quarterly at the time it was published in the March , 1990 issue of the Ouachita County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 3. As long as supply lasts you may purchase this quarterly for $6.00, which includes postage by contacting Mr. Hubert Boddie at OCHS by calling (870) 836-9243 or emailing ochs2003@sbcglobal.net, attention Hubert Boddie.