Franklin County History

Franklin County was separated from St. Louis County and established in 1818. Franklin County is named
after the founding father, Benjamin Franklin. The county seat was originally in the village of Newport,
the county seat was permanently moved to the City of Union is 1825. The county is governed by a three member
County Commission led by the Presiding Commissioner and has 13 municipalities. The historic and quaint towns of
Franklin County such as Washington, Union, New Haven, Gerald and Sullivan, and the natural beauty of the area
attracts many people to the county both as tourists and as new residents. The county covers 922.1 square miles and
has a population of 101,492. There area 1,498 miles of roadways in Franklin County with 69% maintained by
municipal and county governments, and 31% maintained by the State of Missouri.