Sparta, the county seat of Hancock County, was incorporated as a town December 3, 1805. The county courthouse, built around 1882, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

There are a number of historic sites and monuments located in Sparta including Glen Mary Plantation, Shoulderbone Plantation, and the LaFayette Hotel. The Hancock County courthouse, Victorian architecture, was built around the early 1880s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.