The county was created in 1828 and Franklin was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built by Colonel David Coleman in Franklin in 1829. Samuel Lyle and Dr. T T Young of Washington County, Tennessee undertook the brickwork. The second courthouse was designed by William Gould Bulgin and constructed by John Davis in 1881. The building was demolished but the cupola was saved and stand in a downtown park. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1971 to 1972. US Courthouses
The river valleys were long occupied by indigenous peoples, some of whom built earthwork mounds about 1000 CE. Some are still visible in this region. It was part of the homeland of the historic Cherokee people, who had towns throughout the river valleys.
The county was formed in 1828 from the western part of Haywood County. It was named for Nathaniel Macon,[5] who represented North Carolina in the United States House of Representatives from 1791 to 1815 (serving as Speaker of the House from 1801 to 1807), and in the United States Senate from 1815 to 1828.
In 1839 the western part of Macon County became Cherokee County. In 1851 parts of Macon County and Haywood County were combined to form Jackson County. Wikipedia