Izard County’s first courthouse was a small building of rough logs erected at Liberty in 1830, in what is now Baxter County. The second courthouse was a frame building erected in 1834, and the third was built at Mt. Olive in 1836. In 1846 the county seat was moved to Mount Vernon and in 1875 was permanently placed at Melbourne. The county was named in honor of Governor Izard, who served as Territorial Governor from 1825 to 1829.