Franklin

Formed December 17, 1818 (9^th county)

Franklin County (104,688), Union (12,351), Washington (14,653)

The masonry Classical Revival building in Union is located on a square at Main, Oak, Locust, and Church streets.  United States Highway 50 passes four blocks south of the courthouse.  The courthouse was built in 1922 to replace an 1847 version.  There were also 1819 and 1827 courthouses.  Veteran memorials adorn the courthouse grounds.  Norman B. Howard, Frederick C. Bonsack, and Harvey J. Pearce are the building designers.  A Judicial Center was built in 2008 and a Government Administrative Center were added in 2006.  Franklin County was created on December 17, 1818 from Saint Louis County as the 9^th county.  It is named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin.  The county seat is named for the concept of unity.  It is also the source for the county seat of Putnam County.  Dundee (1818), Newport (1826), and Union (1827) have all served as the county seat. 

The area of the county is 922 square miles.  It is 4 out of 115 in the state.  It ranks 12 out of 115 in population in the state.  It has a density of 113.5 persons per square mile making it 17 out of 115 in the state.  Franklin County has 46.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 44 goes east to southwest in the county from Saint Louis County to Crawford County.  United States Highway 50 enters joined with Interstate Highway 44 from Saint Louis County, splits and exits west into Gasconade County.  The county looks like a vase with the top caved in.  Union is near the center of the county.  Washington is on the north Missouri River border.  Union is the county seat and Washington is the largest city.  Union is 11.8% of the county population while Washington is 14.0% of the county population. 

Franklin County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two Circuit Court Judges serve Franklin, Gasconade, and Osage counties and Three County Court Judges and a court clerk serve Franklin County (judicial.) Saint Louis, Missouri is east and Kansas City, Missouri is west of the county.  The county center is 10 miles Southwest of Union nearer Beaufort.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Saint Charles, Saint Louis, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford, Gasconade, and Warren counties.  This county is in the Saint Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Sullivan