Johnson County is named for John Johnson, who was a judge of the Indiana Supreme Court.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Marion County
E – Shelby County
S – Bartholomew County and Brown County
W – Morgan County
Created: December 31, 1822 
County Seat:
Franklin 1823 – present
County Courthouse – Franklin
Location: 5 East Jefferson Street / Main Street
Built: 1879 – 1881
Style: Victorian Eclectic
Architect: George W Bunting of Indianapolis
Contractor: Farman & Pearce of Indianapolis
Description: The building faces north and is a three story red colored brick structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Franklin. The north front has two columns on the first story at the entrance rising to a wide header at the top of the first story. Above is a recessed window and a pediment above. The base of the building is course stone. Stone adorns the corners and runs horizontally between the first and second stories. There is a wide cornice along the roof line. On the center of the roof is a square clock tower with peaked roof. In the interior, there is an east-west hallway with a pair of curved open staircases at the mid-point. The staircases are wooden and ornate rising up through the atrium in the central tower. The plaster walls and ceilings have been highlighted in multi-colors. On the second story, the Circuit Court courtroom is located on the east side and the County Superior Court courtroom is located at the northwest corner. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County Superior Court of the 17th Judicial District. The building was renovated in 1983. The architect was R W Clinton & Associates Inc. of Richmond and the contractor was Construction Control Corp of Fort Wayne.
Note: The courthouse is similar to the courthouse in Gibson County.
See: The architect, George W Bunting of Indianapolis, also designed courthouses in Clinton County, Greene County, Montgomery County, Union County and Wells County.
County Annex – Franklin
Location: 86 Court Street / Jefferson Street
Built: 1982 – 1983
Style: Modern
Architect: R W Clinton & Associates Inc. of Richmond
Contractor: Construction Control Corp of Fort Wayne
Description: The building faces east and is a two story red colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The roof line is flat. The building faces east and was completed in 1983.The building is located in the center of Franklin on the west side of the courthouse. The roof line is flat.
County Annex North – Franklin
Location: 18 West Jefferson Street / Court Street
Built: 1995 – 1996
Style: Modern
Architect: The Partenheimer Group
Contractor: The Sillman Corporation
Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete rectangular structure. The roof line is flat.
See: The 17th Judicial District includes Hancock County and Shelby County.
History: The county was created in 1822 and Franklin was selected as the county seat in 1823. The county first met at Smiley’s Mill which was 5 miles southeast of Franklin and then at the home of George King in Franklin. The first courthouse was a two story log structure built on North Main Street in 1824. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built in 1831 to 1832. The courthouse burned in 1849. The third courthouse was a two story brick structure in 1849. The courthouse burned in 1874. The fourth courthouse was a frame structure built on the southeast corner of Monroe Street and Main Street in 1875. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1879 to 1881 at a cost of $100,000.
County Courthouse – Franklin
County Annex North – Franklin
County Annex – Franklin
Photos taken 2008