Franklin County

Franklin County was formed December 19, 1837, from Crawford County and named for Benjamin Franklin. The landscape of Franklin County is rugged terrain in the northern half, and rolling farmlands, forested ridges, and isolated mountains in the south because travel across the Arkansas River was so difficult in the early days of the county, two county seats were established: Ozark in the north and Charleston in the south. The county lays claim to the first oil strike in Arkansas and sits on vast fields of coal, clay, iron, shale and other minerals; however agriculture is its main economy base. Production and processing of poultry accounts for most of the jobs. Swiss-German immigrants of a century ago recognized the tops of Franklin’s mountains as a place to grow wine grapes. Altus has grown to be the winemaking capital of Arkansas. Growers such as Mount Bethel, Sax, Post, and the largest, Wiederkehr are located within the county, with Wiederkehr Winery offering tours, wine tasting, and a restaurant in the original underground cellar built in 1880 by John A. Wiederkehr and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Winefest in September each year draws a large number of visitors to the area.

4796674726

County Officials				Phone		Fax		E-Mail
County Judge		Joe Powell		(479) 667-4726		(479) 667-2234		fklincojudge@centurytel.net
County Clerk		De Anna Schmalz		(479) 667-3607		(479) 667-3611		Franklincoclerk@fra.countyservice.net
Circuit Clerk		Wilma Brushwood		(479) 667-3818		(479) 667-5174		franklincocircuit@centurytel.net
County Sheriff		Anthony Boen		(479) 667-4127		(479) 667-4619
County Collector		Sylvia Knoles		(479) 667-4124		(479) 667-2234		skcollector@yahoo.com
County Treasurer		Shelly Wilson		(479) 667-2427		(479) 667-8801		fklincotreas@centurytel.net
County Assessor		Cathy Bennett		(479) 667-2415		(479) 667-3266		fcassessor@centurytel.net
County Coroner		Shelby Floyd				(479) 667-2234
Justice of the Peace		David L. Bowles, Sr.
Justice of the Peace		Russell Cagle
Justice of the Peace		Mary Jane Cains
Justice of the Peace		Chad Haberer
Justice of the Peace		Kim Loughridge
Justice of the Peace		Freddy Ree
Justice of the Peace		Paul Schaffer
Justice of the Peace		Demus Shaw
Justice of the Peace		Jack Soller