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History · Franklintown

Franklintown dates to 1813, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1850.

1813founded
0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Franklintown began

When was Franklintown founded?

1813

Franklintown dates its founding to 1813 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 82 in 18502020 census: 518213 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1825.

What stands out about Franklintown’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 Franklintown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19045 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1973. Watch Franklintown change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1813: 213 years of Franklintown.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Franklintown’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Franklintown on the map, 1904 to 1973

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

Franklintown on the 1904 USGS mapFranklintown on the 1943 USGS mapFranklintown on the 1952 USGS mapFranklintown on the 1968 USGS mapFranklintown on the 1973 USGS map1904Carlisle 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 Franklintown.

Timeline

Franklintown, 1813 to 1904

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1813
    FoundingFranklintown is established
  3. 1825Post officeThe Franklintown post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story so far

Franklintown, in brief

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

Franklintown is also the name of a neighborhood in Philadelphia. Franklintown is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 508 at the 2020 census. It is part of the York–Hanover metropolitan area.

Franklintown was established in 1813. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 489 to 518 (+6%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Franklintown in 1886

Passages that mention Franklintown, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The Barrens is an area covering about 3,000 acres of pure red shale soil, lying mostly in the northern part of Washington, near the village of Franklintown. The name originated with the early settlers, owing to a lack of the fertility of the soil. Much of it was foiind by the lirst white settlers t…
History of York County, Pennsylvania1886 · page 673Read the page →
Read the text

The Barrens is an area covering about 3,000 acres of pure red shale soil, lying mostly in the northern part of Washington, near the village of Franklintown. The name originated with the early settlers, owing to a lack of the fertility of the soil. Much of it was foiind by the lirst white settlers to be a barren waste, destitute of trees, and only

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
former and real value. In this county several new towns were laid out that year on account of the apparent prosperity. Among them were Liverpool, Jetferson, Franklintown, New Market, Sowego, Georgetown, Millerstown, Jacobstown., Siddonstown, and the old town of Manchester. Some of them were only "p…
History of York County, Pennsylvania1886 · page 353Read the page →
Read the text

former and real value. In this county several new towns were laid out that year on account of the apparent prosperity. Among them were Liverpool, Jetferson, Franklintown, New Market, Sowego, Georgetown, Millerstown, Jacobstown., Siddonstown, and the old town of Manchester. Some of them were only "paper cities," and when the collapse soon

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Franklintown, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Post office Franklintown, PA 173232015Post office Franklintown, PA 17323Franklin Township, York Co, PA2015Franklin Township, York Co, PAEmmanuel Lutheran2015Emmanuel LutheranPennsylvania State Route 1942013Pennsylvania State Route 194Pennsylvania State Route 1942013Pennsylvania State Route 194Pennsylvania State Route 1942011Pennsylvania State Route 194Pennsylvania State Route 1942011Pennsylvania State Route 194Franklintown, Pennsylvania2011Franklintown, PennsylvaniaFranklintown, Pennsylvania2011Franklintown, Pennsylvania
People over time

Franklintown, census by census

01002003004005001850190019502000Peak: 532

Between 82 and 532 people in every census since 1850.

17 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Franklintown

Nobody well known was born in Franklintown itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Deborah L. BirxAmerican physician and diplomat · b. 1956
John Armstrong Jr.American politician · b. 1758
John BiglerGovernor of California · b. 1805
Billy OwensAmerican basketball player · b. 1969
Rachel WallAmerican pirate; last woman hanged in the state… · b. 1760
William WilkinsUnited States federal judge · b. 1779

Questions about Franklintown’s history

What year was Franklintown founded?

In 1813, according to Wikidata. Franklintown’s post office opened in 1825, and the census of 1850 counted 82 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (9), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.