Greene County, Arkansas 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 5 November 1833 out of portions of Lawrence County,
Arkansas and contained portions of present Clay County, Arkansas
and Craighead County, Arkansas. 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 courthouse was built in 1888 and the building
still survives in downtown Paragould. Acc