Franklin dates to 1764, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Webster, Daniel, Family Home, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 100 buildings between them. Below: 14 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1830.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Franklin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Franklin is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 126 in New Hampshire. All 3 inputs put Franklin near the top nationally; its age ranks highest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin’s overall grade.
New Hampshire towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Hampshire town has 9.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Franklin’s 115 sits above most of its state (87% of New Hampshire towns have fewer) while its 101 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1764.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.0 points).
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.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Situated at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers that form the Merrimack River, the town was settled by Anglo-European colonists in 1764 and originally known as "Pemigewasset Village". It was taken from portions of Salisbury, Andover, Sanbornton and Northfield. The name "Franklin" was adopted in 1820 in honor of statesman and founding father Benjamin Franklin. Water power from the falls on the Winnipesaukee River helped it develop as a mill town. It incorporated as a town in 1828, and then as a city in 1895.
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 1764, according to Wikidata. Franklin’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1830 counted 1,370 people here.
How does Franklin rank for history?
Franklin is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 126 in New Hampshire. 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?
4 listings: 1 building, among them the Webster, Daniel, Family Home (a National Historic Landmark since 1974), 2 historic districts, the Concord Historic District and the Franklin Falls Historic District, with 100 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 101 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Franklin?
40% of Franklin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 17% for a New Hampshire town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
1907
1908
1909
c. 1910
c. 1912
c. 1915
1933
1933
1933
1933
2013
2008
2007
