Ozark County is named for the Ozark Mountains, which are an anglicized form of the French “aux arcs” meaning “Aux Arkansas” which is “in the county of Arkansas”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Douglas County
E – Howell County
S – Fulton County, Arkansas, Baxter County, Arkansas and Marion County, Arkansas
W – Taney County
Created: January 29, 1841 
County Seat:
Rockbridge 1841 – 1860
Gainesville 1860 – present
County Courthouse – Gainesville
Location: 1 Court Square / 4th Street
Built: 1939
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Earl Hawkins of Springfield
Contractor: James Douglas
Description: The building faces west and is a two story concrete and stone structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Gainesville. The west front has stone trim around the central entrance on the first story. The windows are vertical with panels between the upper and lower windows. There are north and south wings. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 44th Judicial Circuit. This was a Work Projects Administration project.
See: The architect, Earl Hawkins designed courthouses in Howell County, Laclede County and Webster County.
See: The 44th Judicial Circuit includes Douglas County, Ozark County and Wright County.
History: The county was created in 1841 and Rockbridge was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in Rockbridge in 1842 and the building was destroyed by fire in 1858. In 1860, the county seat was moved to Gainesville. The second courthouse was built in 1860 and the building was destroyed by fire in 1864. The court met at the Spring Creek schoolhouse until 1865 when the county purchased a building as the third courthouse until 1869, when the building was sold. In 1873, the third courthouse was a two story frame structure constructed by W J Piland at a cost of $1,825. The superintendent was R P Ellison. The building was destroyed by fire in 1934 and the old Christian Church building was purchased as the fourth courthouse at a cost of $4,000. This building was destroyed by fire in 1937. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 at a cost of $34,950.
County Courthouse – Gainesville
Photos taken 2009