Rowan County is named for John Rowan, who was a Congressman from Kentucky.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Fleming County and Lewis County
E – Carter County and Elliott County
S – Morgan County, Menifee County and Bath County
W – Bath County and Fleming County
Created: March 15, 1856 
County Seat:
Morehead 1856 – present
County Courthouse – Morehead
Location: 600 West Main Street / Norman Wells Lane
Built: 2009 – 2011
Style: Modern
Architect: Sherman-Carter Barnhart
Contractor: Packs, Inc. and Alliance Corporation
Description: The building faces southwest and is a one story red and white colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Morehead and faces the County Judicial Center. The southwest front has a wide porch with six pillars supporting a wide pediment. Behind is a dark red colored brick section. The roof is sloped.
County Judicial Center – Morehead
Location: 700 West Main Street / Norman Wells Lane
Built: 2009 – 2011
Style: Modern
Architect: Sherman-Carter Barnhart
Contractor: Packs, Inc. and Alliance Corporation
Description: The building faces northeast and is a two story dark red and white brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Morehead and faces the courthouse. The northwest front has a curved center section with glass entrance on the first story and vertical windows on the second story. The east and west red colored brick sections project from the main building. The roof line is flat.
Old County Courthouse – Morehead
Location: 205 East Main Street / Court Street
Built: 1896 – 1899
Style: Victorian
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Clark & Howard
Description: The building faces southeast and is a three story red colored brick structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the east of the courthouse. The southeast front has an arched entrance on the first story with three windows and a large fanlight window above. On the west corner is a tower with steep roof. The large courtroom is located on the second story. The building served as the courthouse until 1981. The building was renovated from 1977 to 1987. The building now houses the Rowan County Arts Center.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Rowan County Courthouse
Old County Courthouse – Morehead
Location: 627 East Main Street / Lee Cemetery Road
Built: 1980 – 1981
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces northeast and is a two story pink colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Morehead to the east of the courthouse. The roof line is flat. The building is now the Education Services Building.
See: The 21st Judicial Circuit includes Bath County, Menifee County, Montgomery County and Rowan County.
History: The county was created in 1856 and Morehead was selected as the county seat. The first court met at the residence of Dixon Clark and the first courthouse was a log structure built in 1857. The building was burned on March 21, 1864 during the Civil War. The second courthouse was a two story frame structure built shortly after and in 1880, the building burned. The third courthouse was constructed in 1898 to 1899 and is still standing. The fourth courthouse was constructed in 1980 to 1981 and is still standing. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 2009 to 2011. The County Judicial Center was constructed in 2009 to 2011.
County Courthouse – Morehead
County Judicial Center – Morehead
Old County Courthouse 1899 – Moreheaf
Photos taken 2012