Elijah Stuart's Tavern

Early settler, Elijah Stuart built a log tavern on this site that was located on the Southwest Trail. In 1824, the tavern served as Hempstead County's courthouse when the county seat moved to Washington. James Black served Hempstead County in many capacities and conducted court business at Stuart's tavern on many occasions. Today the site is the location of the First Baptist Church of Washington. This property is privately owned and not affiliated with Historic Washington State Park.

Sometime around 1818, Elijah Stuart built a log tavern on this site that was located on the Southwest Trail, the major route from Little Rock to Fulton on the Red River. Built in the same vicinity as the Methodist Ebenezer Campground, the building would serve as the county courthouse of Hempstead County in 1824. The tavern replaced the first courthouse that met in the log tavern of John English in Marlbrooke (7 miles northeast of Washington). His tavern was located on Washington City Block 8.

James Black served as deputy sheriff for Hempstead County in the 1820s and also served on court juries that met at the tavern for court business. He later served the county as a road overseer, deputy jailor and a member of the local civilian police patrol for Ozan Township in Hempstead County. As a  Blacksmith he was also paid by the county to repair various items owned by the county (e.g. locks, chains, etc). Today, the First Baptist Church is located on the site where the tavern was located. 

This property is privately owned and not affiliated with Historic Washington State Park.

Medearis, Mary. Washington, Arkansas : History on the Southwest Trail. Hope, Arkansas. Copies + Office Solutions, 1984.

Montgomery, Don. A History of the 1836 Hempstead County Courthouse. Journal of the Hempstead County Historical Society, ser. Winter 1985, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 9 - 21.

Williams, Charlean Moss. The Old Town Speaks : Washington, Hempstead County, Arkansas, gateway to Texas, 1835, Confederate capital, 1863. Houston, Texas. The Anson Jones Press, 1951.

Williams, Joshua. Washington. Images of America. Charleston, South Carolina. Arcadia Publishing, 2014.

Williams, Joshua. Black, James, Encyclopedia of Arkansas . November 18th 2011. Accessed April 15th 2022. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/james-Black-2534/.