Franklin

Formed December 19, 1837 (36^th county)

Franklin County (17,101), Charleston (2,582), Ozark (3,541)

There are two courthouses for Franklin County.  Charleston’s facility is a red brick old schoolhouse looking structure.  It is located at Main (Arkansas State Highway 22) and Hancock streets.  The building was built in 1923.  The Charleston courthouse was designed by Frank W. Gibb in Classical Revival style.  Ozark’s building has a dominating clock tower on its light brick outline.  This 1904 building is on a square at 2^nd, Main, 3^rd and Commercial (United States Highway 64) streets.  The Ozark courthouse was also designed by Frank W. Gibb in Romanesque style.  The Ozark courthouse was remodeled in 1945.  These are the only courthouses built in Charleston and Ozark.  Both locations were designated as county seats at the founding of the county.  Franklin County is named for American statesman Benjamin Franklin.  Charleston, South Carolina is the namesake for the city of Charleston.  Ozark is named for its geographic location at the southern part of the Ozark Mountains.  Franklin County was the birthplace of 1 Arkansas Governor, D. Bumpers.  Crawford and Johnson counties were the source of Franklin County on December 19, 1837 as the 36^th county. 

Franklin County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, treasurer, and coroner (executive).  It has 9 Quorum Court members (legislative.)  Four Circuit Court Judges serve Franklin, Johnson, and Pope counties and Two District Court Judges, an Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Franklin County (judicial.)  Fort Smith, Arkansas is west of the county and Fayetteville, Arkansas is north.  The center of the county is 11.2 miles North of Ozark nearer Cass.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Madison, Johnson, Logan, Sebastian, and Crawford counties.  Charleston is in extreme southwest Franklin County.  Ozark is near the center of the county on the Arkansas River.  Charleston is one of the county seats.  Ozark is the other county seat and the largest city.  Charleston is 15.1% of the county population while Ozark is 20.7% of the county population.  The county is overall a tall rectangle with the exception of three insets on the southern border as the county crosses the river.  The county is in the Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The area of the county is 619.7 square miles.  It is 54 of 75 in size.  It ranks 42 out of 75 in population in the state.  It has a density of 27.6 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 75 in the state.  Franklin County has 42.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses east to west from Johnson County to Crawford County.  United States Highway 64 parallels Interstate Highway 40 from Johnson to Crawford counties.  The Arkansas River flows through the county from west to east and creates part of the border in the southeast.