Rockcastle County is named for the Rockcastle River which forms the boundary with Laurel County, and Isaac Lindsey in 1767 named the river after a lone rock that looked like an ancient castle.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Garrard County and Madison County
E – Jackson County and Laurel County
S – Laurel County and Pulaski County
W – Pulaski County and Lincoln County
Created: January 8, 1810 
County Seat:
Mount Vernon 1810 – present
County Courthouse – Mount Vernon
Location: 205 East Main Street / Church Street
Built: 1965 – 1966
Style: Modern
Architect: Bayless Clotfelter and Johnson of Lexington
Contractor: G Marcus Jones
Description: The building faces northeast and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Mount Vernon. On the northeast front is a central projecting section with the entrance on the west side. The building has narrow windows which run vertically from the first to third story. The roof line is flat. On the east side is a three story passageway connecting to the County Judicial Center.
See: The architect, Bayless Clotfelter and Johnson of Lexington, designed courthouses in Barren County, Breathitt County and Laurel County.
County Judicial Center – Mount Vernon
Location: 205 East Main Street / Church Street
Built: 1989 – 1991
Style: Modern
Architect: Garlan E Vanhook of Stanford
Contractor: C B & S Construction Company of Somerset
Description: The building faces northwest and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Mount Vernon on the east side of the courthouse. The rectangular shaped building has narrow windows which run vertically from the first to third story. On the northwest and southeast sides are a one story porticoes. On the four sides of the roof there is a central peak along the flat roof line. The building is connected on the west side to the courthouse by a three story passageway.
See: The 28th Judicial Circuit includes Lincoln County, Pulaski County and Rockcastle County.
History: The county was created in 1810 and Mount Vernon was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was a log structure erected in 1810 to 1811. The courthouse burned in February and again in August 1873. The second courthouse was a two story brick structure built by T J Milburn of Paducah in 1873 to 1874 at a cost of $16,000. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1965 to 1966. The County Judicial Center was constructed in 1989 to 1991.
County Courthouse – Mount Vernon
County Judicial Center – Mount Vernon
Photos taken 2007 and 2018