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History · Franklin

Franklin’s post office opened in 1871, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Franklin County Courthouse. Below: maps from 1897 on and the census since 1880.

1871first post office
1on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Franklin began, and where its name came from

When was Franklin founded?

1871

The Franklin post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 78 in 18802020 census: 941155 years

How did Franklin get its name?

Franklin was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Founding year: the first Franklin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Franklin’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 are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18973 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1985. Watch Franklin change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,602 in 1950; 941 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Franklin’s homes were built before 1944.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Franklin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Franklin’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
On the map

Franklin on the map, 1897 to 1985

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

Franklin on the 1897 USGS mapFranklin on the 1974 USGS mapFranklin on the 1985 USGS map1897Red Cloud sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Franklin, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,602

Peaked at 1,602 in 1950; 941 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Franklin’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Franklin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Franklin.

Read it all →

Franklin was founded in the 1870s. It was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Former Nebraska Governor, Ashton Shallenberger, collapsed and then died a few moments later while giving a speech in Franklin on February 22, 1938.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Franklin, 1871 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Franklin post office opens
  3. 1889Born herePaul N. MacEachron is born here
  4. 1891Born hereClarence Mitchell is born here
  5. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1900Born hereFrank William Cyr is born here
  8. 1918Born hereArchie E. Mitchell is born here
  9. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,602
By decade

Franklin, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Franklin, Nebraska downtown2010Franklin, Nebraska downtownNEMap-doton-Franklin2005NEMap-doton-Franklin
On the National Register

1 historic place in Franklin

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Franklin County Courthouse
Franklin County Courthouse
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Franklin County CourthouseClassical Revival

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Franklin

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Clarence MitchellAmerican baseball player · b. 1891
A
Archie E. MitchellAmerican evangelical and missionary · b. 1918
F
Frank William CyrAmerican educator · b. 1900
Paul N. MacEachronAmerican football and basketball coach · b. 1889
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Franklin’s post office has been open since 1871.

Gone or out of use
Franklin Academyschool
1cemetery inside Franklin
Greenwood

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

East Bloomington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMarion TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Franklin’s history

What year was Franklin founded?

The Franklin post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Franklin?

One place: the Franklin County Courthouse (listed 1990).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.