The route is maintained by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD).

The highway begins at Highway 8 in the southwest corner of Cleveland County near New Edinburg at Marks' Mills State Park and a National Historic Landmark.

Once inside the city limits, Highway 189 turns left at 1st Street, ending the concurrency.

[5] The route was deleted from the state highway system by September 1, 1928.

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