People began settling in the area known as Cleburne County back in 1812. Some families had several generations in the area, the land was being farmed, towns, schools, and churches were being established all long before the country was officially established. However, February 20, 1883 when an act created by the General Assembly was signed and the Cleburne county, the last county in Arkansas was officially formed. The name Cleburne was chosen to honor a Confederate hero, General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne. The story is that when it came time to name the county some of the men in the area that had served under General Cleburne wanted the county named after him. Whether this is fact or simply legend we do not know. The citizens of the area were finally and independent county. Cleburne County was assigned to the Sixth Judicial District, the Fourth Congressional District, the 26th Senatorial District, was allocated one state representative, and the town of Sugar Loaf was chosen as county seat.

In 1882, the Heber Post Office was formed and Sugar Loaf evolved into Heber. However, in 1910 the post office was renamed Heber Springs and in turn the town officially became Heber Springs. Construction of the courthouse began quickly and was finished in 1884, however the jail was not completed due to problems regarding the county seat being Heber Springs and not Sugar Loaf, although in all reality it was the same place. The courthouse was used for 30 years. The cornerstone for the current courthouse was laid on June 15, 1914 and was finished and dedicated exactly one year later. In 1976 the Cleburne County Court House became the 201st place in Arkansas to be included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The county was seen several jails over the years. The first was built between April and July of 1884. The second, more improved jail, was built in 1910. The jail building served the county until 1978. In 1978 the jailed moved to a new building and the old jail was sold to the First Baptist Church. They remodeled the building and named it Security House. The church used the building for different programs.

Schools in the area were slow to come around. It was hard to set up schools for a couple of reasons. First, people were very spread out at the time. Second, there were no official rules about opening schools. Third, there could be no rules and legislation on schools until the area was officially a county and had a governing body other than state legislation. Progress was slow and therefore the 1883-84, the first official school year after the county was formed, showed an enrollment of 507 out of 2,132 school-aged children and enrollment was only reported in eight of the twenty-eight school districts. Fortunately the people in the area saw the importance of an education and then during the next three years the number of schools, teachers, and students almost tripled. The people of the area were so concerned with education that in 1871, they founded the Quitman College so that their children would be able to have better education then what was being made available. Eventually numerous schools and Quitman college were consolidated to form the five schools we have today: Concord, Heber Springs, Quitman, West Side, and Wilburn.
 

Other developments were quick to follow such as trading posts, general stores, and post offices. The community of Higden was founded when the Higden Post Office was formed in 1894. Edgemont became a railroad and lumber town. The Prim post office was established in 1895, followed by post offices at Brewer and Woodrow, both closed around 1928. The town of Concord started out as Tina in 1887, then became Arel in 1888, Gadsden in 1892, and finally concord in 1946. Drasco was founded in 1917, Wilburn in 1899, and Quitman in 1897. The last official town was Greers Ferry, founded in 1968 after the lake was filled. Greers Ferry quickly became the second largest town in the county, Heber Springs being the largest.

Tourism began in Cleburne County long before Greers Ferry Lake and even before it was officially Cleburne county. In 1866 a seven page brochure entitled "Cleburne County Arkansas and the Famous Health Resort of Sugar Loaf Springs," was published. The brochure told people about the "medicinal springs" that would cure them of hundreds of ailments. In 1886, an informational bulleting also invited people to come to the new county and experience the "remarkable curative powers" of the springs in the area. The brochures and bulletins worked because in 1913, it was recorded that there were at least ten or eleven major hotels in Heber Springs, and several homes in the area would also take in boarders. However, in 1962 Greers Ferry Lake would become the main tourist attraction and a major source of revenue for the county.

With tourism came he Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad which made its first run through Cleburne County in 1908. The railroad quickly became the center of attention. It followed the Little Red River about four miles west of Edgemont, crossing the South Fork north of Higden to run on the south side of the River to Miller. From there it went through the Cove and toward Heber Springs. It continued to run eastward parallel with the River along the foot of Libby Bluff until it entered Pangburn. Train stations in the county were at Partain, Edgemont, Higden, Miller, Heber Springs, and Snell. The railroad employed several hundred men in the clearing and construction of the railway through Cleburne County. Once completed the railroad brought many opportunities. It opened markets for timber, livestock, and produce for use in other towns around the tracks. Banks began to form as money became more abundant. Luxuries such as electricity, bakery gods, and candy were found in the county. However, in 1921 the railroad hit an obstacle that would cause a domino effects. There was a strike among the workers that continued into the next year. Due to the strike the railway was not maintained and the M&NA began to lose money. The railway was on a fast decline. By 1945 it had reached its end. Fortunately the railroad left behind a site in the waters of Cleburne County and people of the area made lemonade out of their lemons so to speak.

With good times there must also be bad and Cleburne county has experienced several. In the beginning killings, hangings, moon-shiners and bootleggers were the county's crisis. Then came World War I, The Great Depression, The Drought of 1934, The 1926 Tornado, and World War II. The young Cleburne county survived it all.

There to report it all were the newspapers. Wesley C. Watkins and Rance E. Patterson began the first newspaper in Cleburne county in 1883. The first issue of the Sugar Loaf Springs Leader wnt out on March 24th. The life of the paper was short lived due to a fire in 1884 that destroyed the office. However, many papers soon followed. The Quitman Times began in 1910. The Cleburne County Tribune began in 1897 and published through 1903. The Cleburne County Times was started in 1923. The Greers Ferry Gazette began publication in 1959. These are just a few of the forty-something papers the county has had. Today there is the Sun Times, Fairfield Bay News, and The Lakeside Shopper.
 

The biggest change in Cleburne county started in the 1930's when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began surveying the area to begin plans for the dam on the Little Red River. The government purchased 2,000 pieces of property for the project with prices ranging from $100 to $25 an acre. The land included four towns and 27 cemeteries that had to be moved. The feelings toward the lake were mixed. Some looked forward to the growth it would bring to the area while others felt resentment for having to give up their homes. Construction began in 1959, and with the construction came employment for hundreds of local people. Greers Ferry Dam was completed in 1962 at an overall cost of $46.5 million. It is 1,704 feet long, rising 243 feet about the bed of the Little Red River. The lake has a surface area of 40,500 acres and a shoreline of 343 miles. In September of 1963, the dame was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy. Growth of the county was tremendous following the construction of the dam. Greers Ferry Lake brought in thousands of visitors and relocaters. In 1965  it was estimated that 75,000 people visited the lake on the July 4th weekend and on July 4th in 1982 it was estimated at 251,000.

Cleburne county was at the beginning of a growth spurt that continues today. The towns in the area continue to grow. New recreation facilities, resorts, hotels, restaurants and shops are constantly under construction. "All of Cleburne County has felt the impact of the Lake, the dramatic growth of the town, the change in the economy and the cultural effects of the influx of residents from all parts of the country. Even more significant than the geography of the region, or its economy, is a certain standard held in common by those who chose this place for a home, the priority they place on the lifestyle that is possible in the hill country. The first settlers came with the grit and determination to build a good place to live. It was they who made it possible for later generations to enjoy the good life."