A history of Franklin,
since 1876
Postcards, papers and photographs of Franklin from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The city of Franklin had its beginnings in the 1830s as a railroad stop along the Blackwater River. During this era, the river was used to transport goods to and from Albemarle Sound in North Carolina.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Franklin’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewBirds eye view of Franklin, South…, 1907: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Franklin
See all 10 →
Franklin, decade by decade
1980s
5 historic places in Franklin
Franklin has 5 listings on the National Register, and they protect 228 historic buildings, because Franklin Historic District alone counts 225.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 2004Franklin Historic District (Boundary Increase)Listed 1982Elms, TheListed 1985Franklin Historic DistrictListed 2014Woods HillListed 2020Franklin High School Gymnasium and Agricultural & Shop BuildingThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Birds eye view of Franklin, Southampton Co., Virginia 1907 (1907) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.