Formed December 21, 1809 (6th county)
Franklin County (7,681), Meadville (446), Bude (789)
A dark red brick Classical Revival structure was erected in 1914. Overstreet, Spencer, and Paine are the building architects. It is located on a square at Main, Oak, 1st, and Walnut streets. Main Street is United States Highway 84 Business. The building was enlarged in 1958 and renovated in 1969. Franklin County was created on December 21, 1809 from Adams County as the 6th county. It is named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin. The county seat is named for politician Cowles Meade.
Franklin County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive). It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.) Two Chancery Court Judges serve Franklin, Amite, Pike, and Walthall counties, Two District Court Judges serve Franklin, Adams, Amite, and Wilkinson counties and a court clerk serves Franklin County (judicial.) The county is in the southwest part of Mississippi. Jackson, Mississippi is northeast and New Orleans, Louisiana is southeast of the county. The county center is 1.6 miles Northeast of Meadville. West Meadville was the first county seat until 1819 when Meadville assumed the position. The county is surrounded clockwise by Jefferson, Lincoln, Amite, Wilkinson, and Adams counties.
The area of the county is 565 square miles. It is 42 out of 82 in the state. It ranks 77 out of 82 in population in the state. It has a density of 13.6 persons per square mile making it 78 out of 82 in the state. Franklin County has 22.3% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 84 crosses the county east to west from Lincoln County to Adams County. United States Highway 98 enters from the southeast, Lincoln County, and joins United States Highway 84 into Adams County. The county is an overall rectangle. Meadville is located in the center of the county. Bude is to the east of Meadville. Meadville is the county seat and Bude is the largest city. Meadville is 5.8% of the county population while Bude is 10.3% of the county population.
Bude
Meadville
Roxie
