Franklin

Formed January 1, 1867 (40^th county)

Franklin County (2,890), Franklin (938)

The 1926 tan brick Classical Revival courthouse succeeded an 1878 one in Bloomington.  Waterloo (1871), Franklin (1871 & 1920), and Bloomington (1874) have all served as county seat.  George A. Berlinghof designed the structure.  The courthouse is on 15^th Avenue, N Street, 16^th Avenue, and O Street.  United States Highway 136 is one block to the east of the site.  Franklin County was formed on January 1, 1867 from Kearney County as the 40^th county.  The county and county seat are named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin. 

Franklin County government consists of a sheriff, an attorney, a treasurer and a clerk (executive).  It has 7 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two District Court Judges serve Franklin, Adams, Harlan, Kearney, Phelps and Webster counties and Three County Court Judges serve Franklin, Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Harlan, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps, and Webster counties (judicial.)  The county is on the southern border of the state.  Kansas is across the border to the south.  Grand Island, Nebraska is north and Lincoln, Nebraska is northeast of the county.  The county center is 9 miles North-Northeast of Franklin nearer Macon.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kearney, Adams, and Webster counties and Kansas and Harlan and Phelps counties. 

The area of the county is 576 square miles.  It is 46 out of 93 in the state.  It ranks 68 out of 93 in population in the state.  It has a density of 5.0 persons per square mile making it 61 out of 93 in the state.  Franklin County has 68.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 136 crosses through the county from east to west from Webster County to Harlan County.  The county is a rectangle.  The City of Franklin is in the southern quarter of the county.  Franklin is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 32.5% of the county population.

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