come. Kingsland offered to pay $675 for building a "colored" school in that City as an inducement for Support as the county seat.
At an election held in June 1889, none of the towns received a majority of the votes. Another election was held in August 1889 with Rison receiving a majority by seven votes. Kingsland appealed to the county Court which ruled that Kingsland was the winner. Rison appealed to the circuit Court which ruled Rison the winner. Kingsland appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court. The case was known as Rucks vs. Renfrow with a decision rendered on April 11, 1891.
In the decision given by the Arkansas Supreme Court it was shown by evidence that:
Many illegal votes were cast at the election, some by minors, some by persons convicted of infamous crimes, and some by non-residents of the county, and some by persons who had not resided long enough in the county and townships in which they voted, to become legal voters.
The Court further stated that:
We have estimated the following illegal votes were cast for Rison at the election: two by persons under 31 years of age, nine by persons voting in the wrong townships, three by persons not long enough in the State, three by persons who were nonresidents of the county - in all seventeen, und that the following illegal votes were cast at the election for Kingsland: four by persons under age, ten by persons voting in the wrong township, three by persons convicted of infamous crimes, four by persons who did not reside in the county, eight by

MUSIC ON THE LAWN -A bandstand sat on the
courthouse lawn during the early 1900's.

persons who had not resided in the county long enough to become qualified voters - total twenty-nine. Deducting from the 1009 votes returned for Rison's seventeen illegal votes cast for Rison we have 992 legal votes for Rison. Deductions from the 1002 votes returned for Kingsland the twentynine illegal votes cast for Kingsland we have 973 legal votes for Kingsland. It thus appears that there was a majority of nineteen legal votes for Rison.
With the Arkansas Supreme Courts affirmation of the circuit court's action, the long legal battle came to an end and Rison became the county seat.

COURTHOUSE CIRCA 1950s - A radio antenna used by the sheriffs
department was once located in front of the courthouse.