This town originated with the selection of its site for the location of the seat of justice, as heretofore stated. The land on which it was located was entered by Reuben Coker and was in its natural uncleared state when chosen for the county seat. The first house in the town was erected by John Carnall and James J. Baker, for the office of the county clerk, Mr. Carnall occupying that position. It was a log cabin sixteen feet square, the logs being hewed flat on the outside and inside. A double log house was built in 1852, on the corner of Center and Front Streets, on the northeast corner of Block 8, and was used for some time as a court-house. Thomas Kersey opened the first store in the town, in a log building on the northeast corner of the public square. The first "tavern" was kept by John Martin, in a log house where Mrs. McDonald now lives. Betts and Phillips each had stores on the west side of the square, and Awalt & Clark had a family grocery. W. B. Manuel, Turner & Young and Hall Bros. were also early merchants in Greenwood. Dr. S. H. Payne was the first physician in the place. He was soon followed by Dr. W. F. Blakemore, who still resides there.

The growth of Greenwood was comparatively show, but upon the breaking out of the Civil War it had attained some importance as a business point, being the next largest town to Fort Smith in the county. During the Civil War, up to September, 1863, it was occupied frequently by Confederate troops, being all that time within the Confederate lines. From that time to the close of the war it remained within the Federal line, and was occupied part of the time by Union troops. Scouting parties of both armies entered the town from time to time and burned buildings, so that at the close of the war only eighteen houses, including dwellings were left standing. The best houses were all burned. The town has been rebuilt, and its present business directory is as follows: General merchandise, M. T. Tatum, M. S. Gaines & Co., Thomas McCord , John T. Bell, Moses & Fieble and G. H. Spradling; drugs, Dr. J. W. Nichol, J. M. Tate; groceries, R. Morrow, R. Hocott, J. J. Baker; furniture and undertaking, Cawthorn & Tatum; groceries and hardware, Meek Bros.; Thomas Kersey and M. T. Tatum are the proprietors of the Greenwood Mills, cotton gin and carding machine; J. Burton & Co. are proprietors of a grist and saw mill and cotton gin; hotels, Central House by W. P. Graham, Harper house by Thomas Harper, Capitol House by G. Loomis; livery, G. Loomis, C. A. Davis; also three blacksmith and wood shops, and some other enterprises; physicians, W. F. Blakemore, Charles Davenport, J. W. Nichol dentist, Charles Richardson; attorney's C. B. Neal, R. T. Fowler, R. W. McFarland, R. A. & S. T. Rowe, John Holland. In addition to the foregoing, the town contains two churches and the public school.

Greenwood was incorporated November 13, 1884, including within the corporate limits the east half of the northwest quarter, and the west half of the northeast quarter, and the north half of the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 12, Township 6 north, Range 30 west.

Societies. - Greenwood Lodge No. 131, A.F.& A.M. - Upon petition of Green J. Clark, C. Norris, L. Spradling, J. Hackett, E. Spradling, John Henderson and Charles C. Burton, recommended by Belle Point Lodge No. 20, at Fort Smith, a dispensation was granted November 27, 1857, by the Grand Lodge of Arkansas to Greenwood Lodge. Under this dispensation the first meeting of the lodge was held April 20, 1858, with John Pearson, P. M., of Belle Point Lodge, presiding as W. M. The lodge continued to work under dispensation until it received its charter, dated November 10, 1859. The first officers elected under the charter were as follows: Green J. Clark, W.M.; John C. Head, S.W.; W. McAllister, J.W.; N. D. Osborn, Treas.; James A. Brown, Sec. The following is a list of the Worshipful Masters from receipt of the charter to the present time: Green J. Clark, 1859; C. B. Neal, 1860; Elisha Meers, 1861; Clark and Neal, pro tem., 1862 to 1863 (no meetings from August, 1863, to December 21, 1865); William Blalock, 1865-67; C. B. Neal, 1867-72; M. M. Hukill, 1872 to December; W. F. Blakemore, December, 1871; G. N. Spradling, 1878; W. H. Bell, 1874; M. T. Tatum, 1875; Samuel Dunn, 1876; James W. Breedlove, 1877; M. T. Tatum, 1878; J. W. Breedlove, 1880; C. B. Neal, 1881; G. N. Spradling, 1882; J. B. Forrester, 1883-84; C. B. Neal, 1885; G. N. Spradling, 1886-88. In February, 1870, a committee, consisting of M. M. Hukill, Samuel Dunn, W. F. Blakemore and Thomas Kersey, was appointed to select grounds and solicit subscriptions for the erection of a hall. The hall, consisting of a two-story frame building, the first story being for a school-room and the second for the lodge-room, was completed in 1871. Prior to this time the lodge held its meetings in the court-house. For some time the different religious denominations held their services in the school-room, but now it is used exclusively for schools. Greenwood Lodge has now about fifty members, and the present officers are G. N. Spradling, W. M.; R. T. Powell, S.W.; R. S. King, J.W.: R. Hocott, Treas; J. M. Tate, Sec.

Greenwood Lodge No. 3184, K. of H., was instituted on July 15, 1885, by M. Futrell, with the following named officers: W. B. W. Heartsell, D.; M. D. Howk, V.D.; C. C. Stalcup, Asst. D.; John S. Little, P.D.; R. W. Gordon, Rep.; G. N. Spradling, F. R.; W. L. Lyles, G.; T. E. Little, Guard; J. M. Davis, Sentinel; W. F. Blakemore, Med. Ex. The lodge was organized with sixteen members, and on the 1st day of January, 1888, there were twenty-three members, and at this writing there are forty-three. They have lost but one member by death. They hold their meetings in the Masonic Hall. The present officers are A. A. McDonald, D.; T. Little, V.D.; M. L. Gaines, A.D.; R. W. McFarland, P.D.; W. B. W. Heartsell, R.; C. C. Stalcup, F.R.; J. P. Durden, Treas.; M. T. Tatum, Chaplain; R.A. Meek, G.; R. B. Morrow, Guardian; H. M. Tate, Sentinel; Heartsell, Tatum, McFarland, J.S. Little and McDonald, Past Dictators.

Owens Post No. 20, G.A.G., was organized in 1886, with the following officers: W. J. Seamans, post Commander; G. N. Spradling, S.V.; John A. Nichols, J.V.; J. H. Kerby, Adj.; T. J. Hanna, Q.M.; J. H. Claunts, Chaplain; F. H. Bridges, O.D.

The Press. - The Greenwood Augus was established about the year 1872 by Mr. Powell, who continued its publication a short time, and then sold it to George W. Rice and his son, P. H. Rice, lawyers. These gentlemen, in June, 1873, changed the name of the paper to the Standard, and published it about one year, and then sold it to Mr. Allison, who moved it, together with the press on which it was printed, to Waldron. The next paper was the Western World, moved from Waldron to Greenwood by W. W. Woods, who, after publishing it a short time, sold it to Messrs. Leake & Lyles, and they changed the name to that of The Plaindealer, and soon thereafter the office was burned. J. P. Leake then established the Greenwood Times, and soon thereafter sold it to Reese & Embra, who continued its publication about three years, and then sold it to R. W. McFarlane, who, in 1886, sold it to H. T. Hampton. On the first day of January, 1887, the latter changed its name to the Greenwood Democrat, and in September following he sold a half interest to Jesse A. Bell, and together, under the firm name of Hampton & Bell, they continue to publish the paper, It is a seven-column folio, Democratic in politics, and is a well-edited and neat local newspaper. The press of Greenwood has always been Democratic.