Hashem Law Firm

About Monticello

Monticello ( MON-tiss-EL-oh) is a college town in, and the county seat of, Drew County, Arkansas. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 9,467. Founded in 1849 in the Arkansas Timberlands near the Arkansas Delta region, the city has long been a commercial, cultural and educational hub for southeast Arkansas. With a historically agriculture- and silviculture-based economy, it has diversified to include growth from the medical sector and the University of Arkansas at Monticello. == History == === 19th century === When Drew County was founded on December 18, 1849, when the county seat was moved from Rough and Ready. The first courthouse was built in 1851, and a second courthouse was erected in 1857. Two trials were held in that courthouse in March and September 1859 to consider whether the slave Abby Guy ought to be freed. She said that a former master had manumitted her but that years later, she was illegally kidnapped and re-enslaved by his brother. The first trial in her freedom suit resulted in a hung jury, but the second jury of twelve local white men found in her favor. Top lawyers worked on her case, and she married another white man who assisted her.