Pope County is named for Nathaniel Pope, who was the first Territorial Secretary of State from 1806 to 1816.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Saline County
E – Hardin County and Livingston County, Kentucky
S – Livingston County, Kentucky
W – Massac County and Johnson County
Created: January 10, 1816
County Seat:
Golconda 1816 – present
County Courthouse – Golconda
Location: 310 East Main Street / Market Street
Built: 1872 – 1873
Style: Federal
Architect: Young and Frick
Contractor: Yost & Layman
Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick, stone and wood structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Golconda. The north front projects from the main building and has an arched entrance on the first story. The building has a gable roof and brick walls, and a prominent belt course separates the two stories. Six windows are placed in three bays on the side, while the front of the building is pierced by a single side window and three façade openings on each floor: a central door and two windows on the first story, and three windows on the second story. An oculus is set amid a pediment above the second story of the façade. The windows are arched on both stories and there is stone trim above each window. The base of the building is course stone and the roof is hipped. In the interior, the first story hallway runs north-south. The County Circuit Court courtroom is located at the center of the second story. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 1st Judicial Circuit.
See: The 1st Judicial Circuit includes Alexander County, Jackson County, Johnson County, Massac County, Pulaski County, Saline County, Union County and Williamson County.
History: The county was created in 1816 and Golconda was selected as the county seat. The first court met at the home of Thomas Ferguson in 1816. The first courthouse was a log structure built by Robert Scott at a cost of $66. The second courthouse was built by James Hankins and Daniel Field in 1831 to 1833. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1872 to 1873 at a cost of $20,000.
County Courthouse – Golconda
County Circuit Court courtroom
Photos taken 2008 and 2024
Images 14*