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County · code 05041

Desha CountyArkansas

Desha County is a county in Arkansas, formed on March 4, 1839, from Arkansas County, with its seat in Arkansas City and Napoleon.

  • Founded1839
  • County seatArkansas City and Napoleon
  • Land area741 sq mi + 72 sq mi water
  • Population11,395 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped9,663 checked 14 October 2026
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Updated

Bolivar, MSArkansasLincolnDrewChicotPhillipsCoahoma, MS Arkansas City and Napoleon Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Desha on the map of Arkansas

Arkansas has 75 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Arkansas CountyAshley CountyBaxter CountyBenton CountyBoone CountyBradley CountyCalhoun CountyCarroll CountyChicot CountyClark CountyClay CountyCleburne CountyCleveland CountyColumbia CountyConway CountyCraighead CountyCrawford CountyCrittenden CountyCross CountyDallas CountyDrew CountyFaulkner CountyFranklin CountyFulton CountyGarland CountyGrant CountyGreene CountyHempstead CountyHot Spring CountyHoward CountyIndependence CountyIzard CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyLafayette CountyLawrence CountyLee CountyLincoln CountyLittle River CountyLogan CountyLonoke CountyMadison CountyMarion CountyMiller CountyMississippi CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyNevada CountyNewton CountyOuachita CountyPerry CountyPhillips CountyPike CountyPoinsett CountyPolk CountyPope CountyPrairie CountyPulaski CountyRandolph CountySt. Francis CountySaline CountyScott CountySearcy CountySebastian CountySevier CountySharp CountyStone CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWashington CountyWhite CountyWoodruff CountyYell CountyDesha County Desha
Counties of Arkansas · Desha highlighted

History

Formed in 1839 from Arkansas County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Desha County was created from Arkansas County by an act passed on December 12, 1838, taking effect March 4, 1839. The county's boundaries changed multiple times over the following decades through gains and losses to neighboring counties including Chicot, Drew, and Lincoln.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1839
    Desha County created Desha created from Arkansas. Act passed 12 December 1838; took effect 4 March 1839.
    from Arkansas
    · Ark. Acts 1838, 2d sess., pp. 31-33
  2. 1846
    Gained territory Desha gained from Chicot, lost to creation of Drew.
    from Chicotfrom Drew
    · Ark. Acts 1846, 6th sess., pp. 19-22
  3. 1861
    Lost territory Desha lost to Drew.
    to Drew
    · Ark. Acts 1860, 13th sess., no. 197/pp. 373-374
  4. 1871
    Lost territory Desha lost to Drew and lost to creation of Lincoln.
    to Drewto Lincoln
    · Ark. Acts 1871, 18th sess., no. 68, secs. 1, 16/pp. 332-333, 338
  5. 1879
    Gained territory Desha gained from Chicot.
    from Chicot
    · Ark. Acts 1879, 22d sess., no. 7/pp. 5-6; "Reynolds v. Holland," in Ark. Rpts., 35: 56-61
Show all 13 changes (8 more)
  1. 1839
    Desha County created Desha created from Arkansas. Act passed 12 December 1838; took effect 4 March 1839.
    from Arkansas
    · Ark. Acts 1838, 2d sess., pp. 31-33
  2. 1846
    Gained territory Desha gained from Chicot, lost to creation of Drew.
    from Chicotfrom Drew
    · Ark. Acts 1846, 6th sess., pp. 19-22
  3. 1861
    Lost territory Desha lost to Drew.
    to Drew
    · Ark. Acts 1860, 13th sess., no. 197/pp. 373-374
  4. 1871
    Lost territory Desha lost to Drew and lost to creation of Lincoln.
    to Drewto Lincoln
    · Ark. Acts 1871, 18th sess., no. 68, secs. 1, 16/pp. 332-333, 338
  5. 1879
    Gained territory Desha gained from Chicot.
    from Chicot
    · Ark. Acts 1879, 22d sess., no. 7/pp. 5-6; "Reynolds v. Holland," in Ark. Rpts., 35: 56-61
  6. 1879
    Gained territory Desha gained from Lincoln. A small area in township 8 south, range 2 west, south of the Arkansas River, inadvertently remained part of Lincoln and was separated from the rest of the county.
    from Lincoln
    · Ark. Acts 1879, 22d sess., no. 79/pp. 126-128
  7. 1883
    Gained territory Desha gained from Lincoln.
    from Lincoln
    · Ark. Acts 1883, 24th sess., no. 82/p. 139
  8. 1885
    Gained territory Desha gained the small fragment of Lincoln located south of the Arkansas River in township 8 south, range 2 west.
    from Lincoln
    · Ark. Acts 1885, 25th sess., no. 76, sec. 2/pp. 114-115
  9. 1885
    Lost territory Desha lost to Arkansas.
    to Arkansas
    · Ark. Acts 1885, 25th sess., no. 78/pp. 116-120
  10. 1887
    Lost territory Desha lost to Lincoln.
    to Lincoln
    · Ark. Acts 1887, 26th sess., no. 74/pp. 102-104
  11. 1925
    Exchanged territory Desha exchanged with Lincoln.
    with Lincoln
    · Ark. Acts 1925, 45th sess., no. 263/pp. 792-794
  12. 1931
    Lost territory Desha lost small area to Chicot.
    to Chicot
    · Ark. Acts 1931, 48th sess., no. 320/p. 1086
  13. 1965
    Gained territory Desha gained small area from Chicot in township 13 south, range 1 west.
    from Chicot
    · Ark. Acts 1965, 65th sess., no. 502/p. 1787

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Desha

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Desha by the Census

Population
11,395 2020 Census count
Housing units
5,795 2020 Census count
Land area
741 square miles
Water area
72 square miles
People per sq mi
15 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Desha County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Desha County

When was Desha County founded?
Desha County was founded in 1839, formed from Arkansas County.
What is the county seat of Desha County?
The county seat of Desha County is Arkansas City and Napoleon.
Is there an online parcel map for Desha County?
Yes. Arkansas GIS Office publishes a parcel map of 9,663 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Desha County's boundary or name changed?
Desha County was created in 1839 from Arkansas County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 12 later changes, chiefly involving Lincoln County, Chicot County and Drew County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Desha County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door