Tipton County is named for Jacob Tipton, who was killed by Native Americans in 1791 in a conflict over the Northwest Territory, and who was the father of Armistead Blevins who supervised the organization of Shelby County.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
E – Haywood County
S – Fayette County and Shelby County
W – Mississippi County, Arkansas and Crittenden County, Arkansas
Created: October 29, 1823 
County Seat:
Covington 1823 – present
County Courthouse – Covington
Location: 111 West Washington Avenue / South Main Street
Built: 1889 – 1890
Style: Italianate
Architect: McDonald Brothers of Louisville, Kentucky
Contractor: W F Boon and Son
Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick structure. The building is located on the landscaped grounds of the Courthouse Square in the center of Covington. The central tower has been removed. The north front has a small porch at the entrance with four white colored columns and above are two stories with vertical windows on the former tower. On either side are projecting sections rising to gable roofs. The main building has a hipped roof. On the south side, the basement level is exposed with an entrance. In the interior are wood floors and a staircase with wood railings. The former courtroom was located on the second story. The building was renovated n 1976 to 1977. The architect was Howard, Nielsen, Thomas, Miller, Aldred, Henry & O’Brien Inc. and the contractor was Mayes-Howard Lumber Company.
See: The architect H P McDonald and Brothers of Louisville, Kentucky.
Old County Justice Building – Covington
Location: 220 Highway 51 North / Valley Avenue
Built: 1973 – 1974
Style: Modern
Architect: Mahan and Shappley Architects, Inc.
Contractor: Madewell Construction Company
Description: The building faces west and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Covington to the north of the courthouse. The west front has central recessed entrance with a projecting center section on the first story. A concrete band runs below the flat roof line. The building is now a county office building.
County Justice Center – Covington
Location: 1801 South College Street / Mark Walker Drive
Built: 1996 – 1997
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces east and is a one story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds to the south of Covington and the courthouse. The east front has a central recessed entrance with four large concrete columns and a large sloped roof. A wide concrete band runs below the flat roof line. The building houses the County Circuit Court, County Chancery Court, County General Sessions Court and County Juvenile Court of the 25th Judicial District.
See: The 25th Judicial District includes Fayette County, Hardeman County, Lauderdale County, McNairy County and Tipton County.
History: The county was created in 1823 and Covington was selected as the county seat in 1824. The first courthouse was a frame structure erected in 1825. The second courthouse was a brick structure built in 1831 to 1832. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1889 to 1890. The old County Justice Building was constructed in 1973 to 1974 and used until 1997. The County Justice Center was constructed in 1996 to 1997.
County Courthouse – Covington
Old County Justice Building – Covington
County Justice Center – Covington
Photos taken 2011 and 2018