History · Franklin

Franklin’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Franklin. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

3old images & papers
2historic places
1need a date

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Franklin was platted in 1823. It was named after Benjamin Franklin. The Franklin post office was established in 1824. Franklin was incorporated as a city in 1861.

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Franklin College Library (Shirk Hall), Franklin College-Old Main, Franklin Commercial Historic District, Franklin Senior High School, Greenlawn Cemetery, Herriott House, Johnson County Courthouse Square, Martin Place Historic District, Masonic Temple, and August Zeppenfeld House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1867Map of Shelby & Johnson Counties, Indiana [map]…Map
1878An atlas of Washington County, IndianaMap
Be one of the first

Start Franklin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Franklin’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo1 archive item has no date+2 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Franklin

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By decade

Franklin, decade by decade

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

From Wikimedia Commons (12) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Franklin, INJohnson CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01