The first settler to the area was Benjamin Crowley of Kentucky who arrived in 1821 and established a home about 12 miles west of Paragould.

Greene County was formed on November 5, 1833 out of portions of Lawrence County, Arkansas and contained portions of present Poinsett County in 1838, Craighead County in 1859, and Clay County in 1873. The county was named after Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Greene. The original county seat was in Benjamin Crowley's home. By 1836 when Arkansas became a State, the county seat was located at a settlement called "Paris."

In 1848, a national highway was put through and the county seat was moved to the community of Gainesville,  Arkansas which had a reputation as a relatively lawless town. The county seat remained there until 1883 when it was moved to the new town of Paragould. The residents of Gainesville opposed the move and it is reported that shots were fired and tempers were high. A new court house was built in 1888 and the building still survives in downtown Paragould. A new court house was built in 1996 at 320 West Court Street.

I WELCOME and ENCOURAGE the contribution of Greene County, AR information and links to this website. All information is credited to whom credit is due. Thank you for visiting the site and I hope you find something useful or that you enjoyed it.

This site is a proud part of the ARGENWEB Project and the USGENWEB Project. My name is Sandy (Matheny) Hardin ~ Greene Co., Arkansas County Coordinator. Please feel free to email if you have any questions.