Bourbon County is named for the House of Bourbon which was the French royal house.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Harrison County and Nicholas County
E – Nicholas County and Bath County
S – Montgomery County and Clark County
W – Fayette County and Scott County
Created: October 17, 1785 
County Seat:
Paris 1785 – present
County Courthouse – Paris
Location: 310 Main Street / West 2nd Street
Built: 1902 – 1905
Style: Beaux Arts
Architect: Frank P Milburn of Washington, DC
Contractor: J Edward Gibson & Issac N Crawford of Indiana
Description: The building faces east and is a two story stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Paris. The east front has a large portico supported by four large stone columns rising to the pediment at the roof. Below the portico are wide stone steps. The north and south sections of the building protrude slightly. A stone balustrade is along the roof line. In the centre of the roof is a large dome rising in two tiers with a clock, black dome and small cupola at the top. The interior has a rotunda and entrance lobby. On the first story are the County Courtrooms and the Judge’s, Attorney’s and Sheriff’s offices. There is a divided stone stairway under the dome that leads up to the second story. Beneath the dome the four walls are decorated with panels depicting the four seasons. The winter scene shows hemp breaking. The panel spring displays livestock: horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry. Summer is blue-grass stripping, and autumn, tobacco. On the second story is the circuit court room. Over the Judge’s bench is a half-moon shaped mural with Justice in the center, flanked by two other allegorical figures.
Note: The architect Frank Pierce Milburn of Washington, DC. later designed the South Carolina State Capitol and used the Bourbon County Courthouse as his inspiration. He originally designed the building as a proposal for a new State Capital of Kentucky in Frankfort.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Bourbon County Courthouse
County Judicial Center – Paris
Location: 301 Main Street / West 2nd Street
Built: 2002 – 2003
Style: Modern
Architect: Architect Plus
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Paris on the east side of the courthouse. The west front has a large portico with four square red colored brick pillars rising to a pediment at the roof line. The building has a sloped green colored roof. The courthouse is across the street.
History: The county was created in 1885 and Paris was selected as the county seat. The first court was held May 16, 1786, at the residence of James Garrard. The first courthouse was built in 1787 at the forks of Stone River and Huston River. The second courthouse was built by Thomas Metcalf and James Metcalf in 1797. The courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1873 and the third courthouse was built. The courthouse also burned and the fouth and present courthouse was constructed in 1902 to 1905 at a cost of $170,000. The County Judicial Center was constructed in 2002 to 2003.
County Courthouse – Paris
County Judicial Center – Paris
Photos taken 2007 and 2018