[2] The county was formed on July 18, 1868, and named for Ephraim Sharp, a state legislator from the area.

Since then, Democratic vote shares have plummeted, with Joe Biden in 2020 losing the county by a 4-to-1 margin to Republican Donald Trump, despite winning the national election.

Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries.

However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions").

Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications.

[14][15] Sharp County was featured on the PBS program Independent Lens for its 1906 "banishment" of all of its Black residents.