Formed February 6, 1819 (63rd county)
Simpson County (19,595), Franklin (10,184)
The clock tower stands out on the 1882 Beaux Arts building. The courthouse is on a square surrounded by Main, Cedar, College, and Kentucky streets. Main Street is United States Highway 31 West in the town. The architects of the dark red brick structure were the McDonald Brothers. The building was enlarged in 1962. There was a Justice Center added in 2004 across the street. The county was organized on February 6, 1819. The courthouse has a working clock on the tower and the grounds have veteran memorials, a well, and a gazebo. Previous courthouses date from 1819 and 1860 in Franklin, the only county seat. The county was taken from parts of Allen, Logan, and Warren counties as the 63rd county. War of 1812 hero Captain John Simpson is the county’s namesake. Franklin is named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin as is Franklin County.
Simpson County government consists of a County Judge Executive, a sheriff, a clerk, an attorney, a treasurer, a coroner, and an appraiser (executive). It has 4 Magistrates (legislative.) One Circuit Court Judge, One District Court Judge, and One Family Court Judge serve Simpson and Allen counties and a court clerk serves Simpson County (judicial.) The county is located on the southern border with Tennessee. Bowling Green, Kentucky is directly north of the county. The county center is 4.7 miles Northwest of Franklin nearer Salmons. The county is surrounded clockwise by Warren and Allen counties and Tennessee and Logan County.
The area of the county is 236 square miles. It is 90 out of 120 in the state. It ranks 58 out of 120 in population in the state. It has a density of 83.0 persons per square mile making it 43 out of 120 in the state. Simpson County has 52.0% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 65 crosses the county from north to south Warren County to Tennessee. United States Highway 31 West parallels Interstate Highway 65 from Warren County to Tennessee. The county is shaped like a recliner chair. Franklin is located in the southern quarter of the county. Franklin is the county seat and, as the only incorporated city, it is the largest city. It is 52.0% of the county population.
Franklin
