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Note: This is NOT the official web site of Franklin County or
of any county officials; it is an educational web site about the history
of the county courthouse and the county itself. For the address
and phone number of the courthouse and county officials, see the NaCO
web page for Franklin County, linked below: Address and Phone Number: See NaCO web page for Franklin County Location: Carnesville Date Built: 1906 Architectural Style: Neoclassical Revival Designer: W. Chamberlain Other Information: At the time of its creation in 1784, Franklin County was a large wilderness, with the northern border bordering Cherokee lands. An act of Feb. 22, 1785 provided that superior court for the new county initially be held at the house of Warren Philpot. An act of Feb. 10, 1787 changed the meeting pl.ace to the house of Benjamin Acles. On Feb. 1, 1788, the legislature appointed commissioners to select a site for the county seat and authorized them to spend up to £250 to build a courthouse and jail. New commissioners were named in 1791, and again in 1792. The next year, Franklin County's first courthouse was completed. In 1826, the General Assembly authorized a local tax to fund construction of a new courthouse, which was completed in 1826 or 1827. That building was used until the present two-story brick courthouse was constructed in 1906 (see postcard 1 and postcard 2). The courthouse was remodeled in 1958, and the interior was renovated in 1998. County Courthouse Historical Marker: Click here 
County History: Franklin and Washington counties were created on Feb. 25, 1784 by an act of the General Assembly (Mar. & Cr., p. 330). They were the first new counties established in Georgia after the Revolutionary War and were fashioned from lands ceded by the Cherokees and Creeks in the Treaties of Augusta in 1783. Named for Benjamin Franklin, Georgia's 9th county consisted of all ceded lands north of Cherokee Corner on the eastern tip of today's Clarke County -- an area that includes all of today's Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Oconee, and Stephens counties, plus portions of Habersham, Hart, Hall, Gwinnett, and Madison counties. Though the Georgia Land Office began granting headright and bounty land grants in the new county, it was several years before the county had enough inhabitants to organize a county government. Created entirely from Franklin County were Jackson County (1796) and Habersham County (1818). Additionally, portions of Franklin County were used to help create the following counties: Madison (1811), Hart (1853), Banks (1858), and Stephens (1905). County Seat: At the time of its creation, Franklin County was a huge wilderness with its northern boundary bordering Cherokee lands. An act of Feb. 22, 1785 provided that superior court for the new county initially be held at the house of Warren Philpot. An act of Feb. 10, 1787 changed the meeting pl.ace to the house of Benjamin Acles. On Feb. 1, 1788, the legislature appointed commissioners to select a site for the county seat and authorized them to spend up to £250 to build a courthouse and jail. New commissioners were named in 1791, and again in 1792. In 1805, the General Assembly designated Carnesville as county seat. Settled around 1797, Carnesville was named for judge Thomas Carnes, who had represented Georgia in the 3rd Congress (1793-95). The legislature incorporated Carnesville on Dec. 21, 1819. Maps Size of County (Total Area): 266.4 square miles County Rank in Total Area: 116th out of 159 Population:
© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
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