McDonald County is named for Alexander McDonald, who was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Newton County
E – Barry County
S – Benton County, Arkansas
W – Delaware County, Oklahoma and Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Created: March 3, 1849 
County Seat:
Rutledge / Maryville 1849 – 1857
Pineville 1857 – present
County Courthouse – Pineville
Location: 602 Main Street / East 7th Street
Built: 1977 – 1978
Style: Modern
Architect: Hood-Rich of Springfield
Contractor: R E Smith Construction Company of Joplin
Description: The building faces west and is a two story stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Pineville and is 72 feet by 84 feet. The south section of the building extends west with narrow vertical windows and an entrance with small canopy above on the first story. The north section has wide glass doors with an entrance on the second story. A wide band of metal trim follows the flat roof line. In the interior are two County Circuit Court courtrooms located at the west and south sides of the second story. Of the building. The buiding houses the County Circuit Court of the 40th Judicial Circuit. On the east side of the building is the old log cabin that served as the first courthouse in Pineville in 1859 after the county seat dispute was settled.
Old County Courthouse – Pineville
Location: Courthouse Square / Main Street
Built: 1870 – 1871
Style: Federalist
Architect: Z P Cogswell
Contractor: Willis R Cox and Zachariah Smith
Description: The building faces west and is a two story white colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Pineville and is 42 feet by 48 feet. The roof is hipped with gable peaks. In 1905, the building was expanded on the east side. In 1943, the building was stuccoed and painted white. The building was renovated in 1969 and 1973.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Old McDonald County Courthouse
See: The 40th Judicial Circuit includes McDonald County and Newton County.
History: The county was created in 1849 and Rutledge and Maryville (Pineville) were both county seats. The first courthouse was a log structure located in Rutledge in 1849. The second courthouse was located in Maryville which was renamed as Pineville. The county seat was affirmed at Pineville in 1857. The third courthouse was a one story frame structure built in 1858 to 1859 at the corner of Third Street and Main Street. The fourth courthouse was a three story brick structure built in 1861 located at the town square. The courthouse was burned in September 1863 and the county rented premises. The fifth courthouse was constructed in 1870 to 1871 at a cost of $4,950 and is still standing. The sixth and present courthouse was constructed in 1977 to 1978 at a cost of $165,000.
County Courthouse – Pineville
Old County Courthouse 1859 – Pineville
Old County Courthouse 1871 – Pineville
Photos taken 2009 and 2023