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Arkansas County
Hempstead County, Arkansas
Hope - Bill Clinton's birthplace and the world's largest watermelons - from Hope's distinction as the birthplace of President Bill Clinton (the 42nd President of the United States was born in Hope on August 19, 1946 - the Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site preserves the house where Clinton spent his early childhood, and Hope has embraced its presidential connection with the annual Hope Watermelon Festival) to Hope's Watermelon Capital claim (Hope has grown watermelons of extraordinary size for over a century - the Guinness World Record watermelon grown in Hope weighed 268 pounds, and the annual festival celebrates this agricultural heritage).
County SeatHope
Population20,065
Founded1818
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Office: Hempstead County Office of Emergency Management
Address: 400 S Washington St, Hope, AR 71801
Phone: (870) 777-6727
Alert System: AR Alert; CodeRed; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Contact county OEM; Hope community facilities
FEMA Region: Region 6
Notes: Southwest Arkansas; Hope is county seat – birthplace of President Bill Clinton (born August 19, 1946 in Hope) and President-adjacent (also home town of Vince Foster); tornado corridor; Little Missouri River drainage; timber and agricultural county; Texarkana metro influence
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Road Dept: Hempstead County Road Department – (870) 777-6727
Public Transit: Very limited; demand-response; rural county
Road Conditions: ARDOT – idrivearkansas.com
Notes: I-30 runs through Hope (exits 30-32) – connecting Texarkana to Little Rock; US-278 and US-67 are other corridors; Hope is an I-30 highway hub; railroad (Union Pacific) passes through Hope; Texarkana metro 30 miles west
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Hempstead County – (870) 777-6727
Services: Building permits; Hope, Ozan, Washington separate
Notes: I-30 commercial development; Hope is a regional hub for southwest Arkansas; limited residential growth overall; tourism related to Clinton birthplace
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Hempstead County Veterans Service Office – (870) 777-6727
VA Medical: Overton Brooks VAMC (Shreveport, LA) – accessible via I-30; Central Arkansas VA (Little Rock)
Services: Benefits claims, VA healthcare enrollment
Notes: Shreveport VA is often more accessible than Little Rock VA for southwest Arkansas; I-30 makes both cities reachable
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Hempstead County Library – (870) 777-4564
Address: Hope area
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; Clinton birthplace history materials
Notes: Library holds materials related to Bill Clinton’s Hope childhood; presidential heritage is a point of community pride and tourism interest
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home NHS (Hope – NPS unit; small house where Clinton was born in 1946; managed by NPS; significant presidential heritage tourism); Hope Watermelon Festival (one of Arkansas’s most beloved agricultural festivals; Hope is the “Watermelon Capital of the World” – home of the world record watermelon; annual August festival); Centennial Park; Little Missouri River recreation; Old Washington State Park (Washington – nearby; historic antebellum town where James Bowie and Sam Houston visited)
Notes: Hope is a town of presidential heritage and agricultural pride; the Clinton Birthplace is an NPS site drawing visitors from across the nation; Hope’s watermelons have set world records for size; the Hope Watermelon Festival is a quintessential Arkansas summer celebration; Old Washington State Park (in adjacent Nevada County) is one of Arkansas’s finest historic sites – the antebellum county seat where James Bowie’s famous knife was forged
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Hempstead County GIS; Arkansas GIS – gis.arkansas.gov
Notes: County GIS; I-30 corridor mapping; NPS mapping for Clinton Birthplace
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Hempstead County Animal Control – (870) 777-6727; Hope Humane Society
Services: Stray intake, adoptions, animal control
Notes: Moderate humane community; I-30 corridor location means occasional abandoned animals from highway travelers
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Solid Waste: Hempstead County – (870) 777-6727; Hope city sanitation
Environmental: Arkansas DEQ; Little Missouri River watershed; I-30 corridor environmental management; timber industry land use
Notes: Little Missouri River watershed management; I-30 corridor stormwater and spill response planning for heavy truck traffic; timber industry environmental management; limited industrial environmental concerns beyond highway corridor
About Hempstead County
Hempstead County is southwest Arkansas’s presidential birthplace and world’s largest watermelon county – Bill Clinton’s Hope birthplace and the giant watermelons grown in this Red River valley community give it two very different claims to national recognition.
Hope (the county seat, population ~9,000) was where Bill Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 and spent his early childhood before moving to Hot Springs. The Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site preserves the modest house. Hope’s watermelons – grown in the county’s sandy, well-drained soils – have achieved Guinness World Record proportions.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Local DHS office: Hope (confirm via dhs.arkansas.gov)
Recommended
Search Hempstead County public records for Hope, Fulton, and Hempstead County residents.
Courts & Legal
Hempstead County Circuit Clerk at 400 S. Washington Street, Hope, AR 71801, phone 870-777-6213, handles probate.
Senior Services
Area Agency on Aging: Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District (SWAPDD) — Area Agency on Aging
Meals on Wheels, transportation, senior centers
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
400 S. Washington St., Hope, AR 71801
(870) 777-6166
CIRCUIT CLERK (Deeds, Court Records)
400 S. Washington St., Hope, AR 71801
(870) 777-6166
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Hempstead County Clerk, Probate Division (marriage licenses, will and estate case files – see Probate section above)
Local societies
Hempstead County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1158, Hope, AR 71801
Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives, Old Washington Historic State Park, Washington, AR 71862 – regional research hub covering Hempstead and surrounding southwest Arkansas counties.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
In Hempstead County, probate matters are handled by the County Clerk’s Office.
Hempstead County Clerk – Probate Division 400 S. Washington Street, Hope, AR 71801 (870) 777-2241 Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Arkansas has one of the more generous small-estate thresholds in the country, so check this first.
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where total property value (after debts, excluding the homestead and statutory spousal/minor-child allowances) is $100,000 or less. Available 45 days after the death. Filed using Form 23 (Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate by Distributee) under Ark. Code § 28-41-101 – no personal representative is appointed, and no full administration is needed.
Independent Administration – available when the will authorizes it, or when all heirs agree to it. The personal representative acts with minimal court oversight at each step.
Supervised Administration – the traditional, more heavily court-involved track; used for contested estates or when independent administration isn’t available or agreed to.
Administration with Will Annexed – used when a valid will doesn’t name an executor, or the named executor can’t or won’t serve.
If using the small estate affidavit
Wait at least 45 days after the death.
Confirm the estate’s total value (after debts, excluding homestead and statutory allowances) is $100,000 or less and there are no unresolved claims against the estate.
Complete Form 23, the Affidavit for Collection of Small Estate by Distributee, listing the property and heirs.
File it with the Probate Clerk, or present it with a certified death certificate directly to banks or other institutions holding the property.
If filing for independent or supervised administration
Gather the original will (if any), a certified death certificate, a list of assets/debts, and names of heirs.
File a Petition for Probate of Will and Appointment of Personal Representative (Form 3, if there’s a will) or a Petition for Appointment of Administrator/Administratrix (Form 2, if there isn’t) with the Probate Division. Filing fee is $165.
If there’s a will, the court formally admits it to probate; the court then issues Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
The personal representative must file an inventory of estate assets within 2 months of appointment.
Creditor notice must be published in a local newspaper, plus direct notice to known creditors; creditors then have 6 months from the date of first publication to file claims.
If independent administration applies, the personal representative can act on most matters without seeking court approval at each step.
After debts are resolved, the personal representative files a final settlement with the court; once approved, the estate closes.
What it costs
Small estate affidavit: no separate court filing fee (a nominal recording fee may apply depending on what’s being transferred).
Formal probate filing fee: $165 (may vary somewhat by county).
Personal representative and attorney compensation: no fixed statutory rate – courts typically look to roughly 2–5% of the estate’s value as a reasonable baseline, subject to court approval as “just and reasonable.”
No state estate tax or inheritance tax in Arkansas.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
400 S. Washington St., Hope, AR 71801
(870) 777-2451
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Unit
(870) 777-5501
DHS / SNAP / Medicaid
(800) 482-8988
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Hempstead County Health Unit – (870) 777-6704
Services: Immunizations, WIC, family planning, STI testing, environmental health, vital records
Hospital: UAMS Hope Medical Center – (870) 722-4800; limited services; primarily Texarkana or Little Rock for specialty care
Notes: UAMS operates a clinic in Hope; Texarkana hospitals (Wadley, Christus St. Michael) serve southwest Arkansas; limited local specialty care
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Hope
Population: 20,065
Area: 728 sq mi
Established: 1818
Tier: 3
Public Records
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Search public records for Hempstead County residents.
