March 16, 2011

The downtown square has long been the focal point of towns throughout the state. Generally consisting of the seat of local government, the area is usually surrounded on all four sides by the town business district. As shown in this 2007 photograph of Marshall, the seat of Searcy County, the county courthouse occupies the center of the square. With the construction of strip malls in recent years, the survival of many of the once-prosperous town squares seems to be in jeopardy.