Columbus, about 2 miles north and now extinct, was the first county seat of Polk County. The first court met there on March 7, 1840, with Hamilton Bradford, Absalom Coalman, and Solomon Stansbury as justices, David Ragan as sheriff pro tem., and James Parks as clerk. On May 4, a new court of 15 justices was installed, with Zachariah Rose as chairman and John Shamblin as sheriff. The county seat was moved to Benton on August 3, 1840.