Franklin County

US States / A-G / Florida / Franklin County
Franklin

Franklin County is named for Benjamin Franklin, who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and who lived from 1706 to 1790.

 

Surrounding County Courthouses: 

 Liberty County and Wakulla County

E – Gulf of Mexico

S – Gulf of Mexico

W – Gulf County

 

Created:  March 11, 1832                       Map of Florida highlighting Franklin County

County Seat:

Apalachicola            1832 – 1841

St. Joseph (Gulf)     1836 – 1841

Apalachicola            1841 – present

 

County Courthouse – Apalachicola

 

Location:  33 Market Street / Avenue C

Built:  1939 – 1940

Style:  Art Deco and Roman

Architect:  Warren, Knight & Davis of Birmingham, Alabama

Contractor:  A J Honeycutt Company Inc.

 

Description: The building faces west and is a two story buff colored brick, stone and concrete structure. The building is is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Apalachicola. The west front extends from the main building and has a recessed porch with two large columns rising to a wide header. A projecting cornice runs below the roof line. There is stone trim along the corners and the roof line is flat. In the interior, the large County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the second story. The courtroom has a high ceiling.  The building houses the Circuit Court of the 2nd Judicial Circuit and County Court. The building was a Works Progress Administration project. The building was enlarged in 1969. The architect was Norman Gross and the contractor was Kalmetz Construction Company. The building was further enlarged in 1978 to 1979 with a three story addition on the east side. The architect was G Michael George & Associates and the contractor was Whitesell-Green Inc.. Renovations were made in 2008 and the architect was Johnson Peterson and the contractor was Peter Brown.

 

See:  The architect,  Warren, Knight & Davis of Birmingham, Alabama, designed courthouses in Gulf County and Walton County and in Alabama in Elmore County and Lawrence County.

 

County Courthouse Annex – Apalachicola

 

592f23

 

Location:  34 Forbes Street / Commerce Street

Built:  2001 – 2002

Style:  Modern

Architect:  Bay Design Associates

Contractor:  The Ingram Group, LLC.

 

Description: The building faces north and is a one story light brown colored brick and concrete structure. The building faces north and was completed in 2002. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Apalachicola on the south side of the courthouse. The north front has a central projecting concrete section with three rectangular openings and recessed entrance. The windows are vertical and narrow, a wide concrete belt runs below the flat roof line. In the interior is a large County Circuit Court courtroom located at the center of the building. 

 

See:  The 2nd Judicial Circuit includes Gadsden CountyJefferson County, Leon CountyLiberty County and Wakulla County.

 

See:  The county is located in the First Judicial District of the Court of Appeal – First Judicial District located in Tallahassee.

 

History:  The county was created in 1832 and Apalachicola was selected as the county seat. In 1836, St. Joseph (Gulf County) assumed the county seat but was destroyed by a hurricane and the county seat returned to Apalachicola in 1841. The first courthouse was erected and was burned in 1887. The second courthouse was designed by McDonald Brothers of Louisville, Kentucky and constructed by Will L Landrum in 1892. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1939 to 1940. The County Courthouse Annex was constructed in 2001 to 2002.

 

 

1362f09

County Courthouse - Apalachicola 

 

 

 

576f23

 

 

577f23

 

 

579f23

 

 

1364f09

 

 

581f23

 

 

583f23

County Circuit Court courtroom

 

 

584f23

 

 

585f23

 

 

587f23

 

 

589f23

 

 

591f23

 

 

593f23_0

County Courthouse Annex - Apalachicola 

 

 

594f23

 

 

595f23

County Circuit Court courtroom

 

 

596f23

 

 

597f23

 

 

598f23

 

 

599f23

 

 

1365f09

Photos taken 2009 and 2023