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AHistory
History · Franklin Township

26% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #67 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 1 buildings. Below: maps from 1948 on.

2on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About Franklin Township’s history

How historic is Franklin Township?

A

More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Franklin Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Franklin Township is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #67 of 701 in Michigan. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194026.4% of homes (±9.8) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 3 historic buildings, 9.9 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 90%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 91%

Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Franklin Township’s 9.9 sits above most of its state (82% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.8 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Franklin Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Franklin Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Franklin Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Tipton
1834–today
Evans Lake
1890–1900
Putnam
1898–1929
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Tipton
Gone or out of use
Evans Lake Post Officepost officePutnam Post Officepost officeTipton Stationlocale
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Franklin Township
FranklinMillsWisner

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Franklin Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Franklin Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Franklin Township is a civil township of Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,063 at the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,174 to 3,063 (-3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Franklin Township, 1834 to 1948

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1834Post officeThe Tipton post office opens
  3. 1890Post officeThe Evans Lake post office opens
  4. 1898Post officeThe Putnam post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900Post officeThe Evans Lake post office closes
  7. 1929Post officeThe Putnam post office closes
  8. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Franklin Township, decade by decade

Today13 recent
Tipton, MI along M-502020Tipton, MI along M-50Franklin Township Hall (Lenawee County) Michigan (2020)2020Franklin Township Hall (Lenawee County) Michigan (202…Tipton Community Congregational Church Tipton Michigan2012Tipton Community Congregational Church Tipton MichiganMonument to Civil War Dead Franklin Township Cemetery Tipton Michigan2012Monument to Civil War Dead Franklin Township Cemetery…Keeney Lake Tipton Michigan2012Keeney Lake Tipton MichiganBucolic Vista Monroe Road Tipton Michigan2012Bucolic Vista Monroe Road Tipton MichiganSheep grazing in a field, M-52 south of U.S. 12, Franklin Township, Michigan2011Sheep grazing in a field, M-52 south of U.S. 12, Fran…Sand Lake Volunteer Fire Department, approx. 1300 U.S. 12, Franklin Township, Michigan2011Sand Lake Volunteer Fire Department, approx. 1300 U.S…Evans Lake, 282 Evans Trail, Franklin Township, Michigan2011Evans Lake, 282 Evans Trail, Franklin Township, Michi…Tipton Michigan Post Office2010Tipton Michigan Post OfficeKeeney Farm Michigan2010Keeney Farm MichiganFranklin Township Hall under construction2010Franklin Township Hall under constructionFranklin Township Hall Michigan2010Franklin Township Hall Michigan
On the map

Franklin Township on the map, 1948 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Franklin Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Franklin Township on the 1948 USGS mapFranklin Township on the 1980 USGS map1948Manchester sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Franklin Township.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Franklin Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
2001
John W. and Erena Alexander Rogers Keeney Farm
John W. and Erena Alexander Rogers Keeney FarmDavenport Hotel
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Upright and Wing House1
Greek Revival1
Italian Villa1
John W. and Erena Alexander Rogers Keeney FarmUpright and Wing House
Davenport HotelGreek Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cambridge Township6 historic placesA−Manchester Township2 historic placesAAdrian Township1 historic placeB+Tecumseh TownshipIts storyB−Clinton Township1 historic placeA

Questions about Franklin Township’s history

How does Franklin Township rank for history?

Franklin Township is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #67 of 701 in Michigan. 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 Township?

Two places: the John W. and Erena Alexander Rogers Keeney Farm (listed 2001) and the Davenport Hotel (2007).

How old are the homes in Franklin Township?

26% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1962.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (13), the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.