Franklin dates to 1808, and 10 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #9 of 161 in Louisiana. What drives it
Most of Franklin was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1966. 10 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 334 buildings. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1972 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1817.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Franklin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Franklin is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #9 of 161 in Louisiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin’s overall grade.
Louisiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Louisiana town has 3.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Franklin’s 532 sits above most of its state (98% of Louisiana towns have fewer) while its 344 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1808.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Franklin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Franklin, named for Benjamin Franklin, was founded in 1808 as the "Carlin's Settlement" by French-born pioneer Joseph Carlin and his family. It became the parish seat in 1811 and the town was incorporated in 1820. Though early settlers included French, Acadian, German, Danish and Irish, the town's culture and architecture is heavily influenced by the unusually large numbers of English that chose to settle there after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Numerous large sugar plantations arose in the area, and with the development of steam-boating, Franklin became an interior sugar port. With the later advent of the railroad, it became a sawmill town.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1808, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Franklin’s post office opened in 1817, and the census of 1850 counted 891 people here.
How does Franklin rank for history?
Franklin is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #9 of 161 in Louisiana. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Franklin?
10 listings: 9 buildings, among them the Grevemberg House (listed 1980, the first), and 1 historic district, the Franklin Historic District, with 334 contributing buildings. 344 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Franklin?
9% of Franklin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.4% for a Louisiana town; the median home was built in 1966.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (14), the Library of Congress (7), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (10), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1880![[Franklin, Saint Mary Parish], Louisiana. Truck entering on U.S. Highway 90](https://images.townratings.com/story/7297/3b0c891d6d89ebbee176-s.jpg)
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