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.
Franklin 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 are 1,498 miles of roadways in Franklin County with 69% maintained by municipal and
county governments, and 31% maintained by the State of Missouri.
