Obion County is named for the Obion River which is named for the corruption of the name of an Irish trapper called “O’Bion” or “O’Brien”.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Fulton County, Kentucky and Hickman County, Kentucky
E – Weakley County
S – Gibson County and Dyer County
W – Lake County
Created: October 24, 1823 
County Seat:
Troy 1823 -1890
Union City 1890 – present
County Courthouse – Union City
Location: 7 Bill Burnett Circle / West Washington Street
Built: 1938 – 1940
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr of Nashville
Contractor: F C Gorrell & Sons.
Description: The building faces east and is a three story gray colored limestone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Union City. The building is constructed with a limestone veneer over concrete and brick walls giving it a smooth appearance. The east front has a projecting center section with a stone framed entrance on the first story and vertical recessed windows on the second and third stories. The roof line is flat. The interior is a “T” plan with entrances at the north, south and east sides. The walls have original marble wainscoting with plaster above and cove molding running along the top at the ceiling. The east hallway has a squared marble arch. Off the east hallway is the central foyer which is octagonal and made of marble. The floor consists of light brown terrazzo squares bordered by dark brown colored terrazzo. At the north end of the hallway is the large marble staircase. The large circuit courtroom is located on the south side of the second story. The floor is light brown colored terrazzo. Behind the judge’s bench which is located in an alcove with fluted corners, is imitation wood paneling. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County Chancery Court, County General Sessions Court and County Juvenile Court of the 27th Judicial District. The building was a Work Projects Administration project.
See: The architect, Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr of Nashville, designed courthouses in Bedford County, Franklin County, Hardin County, Lauderdale County, Madison County, McNairy County, Pickett County, Sumner County and Weakley County. They also designed the Tennessee Supreme Court in Nashville.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Obion County Courthouse
See: The 27th Judicial District includes Weakley County.
History: The county was created in 1823 and Troy was selected as the county seat. The court met at the home of Colonel William Wilson, three miles south of Troy until 1825 when the first courthouse, a square structure was built by William Hutchinson. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1831 on the same site. The building was damaged in 1842 by an earthquake and was reconstructed as a one story structure. The third courthouse was a two story frame structure built in Troy in 1852. The county seat was moved to Union City in 1890. The courthouse was moved and used as school annex. The fourth courthouse was constructed by T L Bransford in 1890. The fifth and present courthouse was constructed in 1938 to 1940.
County Courthouse – Union City
Picture 1890 County Courthouse
Photos taken 2011 and 2018