about
Johnson County was established on December 13, 1834, when it separated from Lafayette County. Johnson County was named after R.M. Johnson, a Kentucky senator and later vice president of the United States. As of 2015 Johnson County has an estimated population of 53,951. There are seven municipalities located in Johnson County: Centerview, Chilhowee, Holden, Kingsville, Knob Noster, Latour, Leeton and Warrensburg, which is the county seat. Communities that no longer qualify as incorporated towns, but are still recognized on our county maps include: Burtville, Columbus, Cornelia, Dunksburg, Elm, Ernestville, Fayetteville, Magnolia, Medford, Montserrat, Owsley, Pittsville, Post Oak, Rose Hill, Slab Town and Sutherland.
Johnson County's most famous resident is not a man or a woman, but a dog named Old Drum, who was wrongly accused as a sheep-killer by his owner's neighbor and was shot and killed. If Charles Burden had not loved his favorite hunting dog as The did, the unusual trial of Burden vs. Hornsby would never have occurred and George Graham Vest would never have had the opportunity to make his classic eulogy to all dogs. A statue of the infamous hound, along with the moving speech, stands immortalized on the Courthouse Square. To this day, over one hundred years after the fact, the statue and the story behind it still bring visitors from across the country.