Franklin dates to 1794, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 111 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1922 on, and the census since 1880.
The Town of Franklin is situated in the Allegheny Mountains on the eastern edge of the Monongahela National Forest and along the South Branch of the Potomac River. This region was populated by Native American cultures for centuries prior to the arrival of English immigrants in the mid-18th century. During the French and Indian War, conflict between the early settlers and Native American populations included two battles at frontier fortifications at Upper Tract and Fort Seybert in 1758, both ten miles distant from the future location of Franklin. The land on which Franklin was laid out was first patented by brothers Francis and George Evick in 1769.
Passages that mention Franklin, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Pendleton County, West Virginia1910 · page 175Read the page →
Read the text
Franklin is Cashier of the Bank of Franklin and has large interests in cattle. Herbert, clerk in the same bank, took the degree of B. A. from the Washington and Lee University in 1907. William B. is a large landholder and is heavily interested in the cattle business.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Pendleton County, West Virginia1910 · page 125Read the page →
Read the text
schoolhouse on the same farm was nearly rotted down in 1845. In 1791 there was a schoolhouse on the farm of Andrew Johnson on the east side of North Fork. The oldest one in Franklin district stood near the home of George W. Harper above Cave postoffice. The second oldest in the same district stood northwest of the home of Henry Simmons.
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.
Timeline
Franklin, 1794 to 1990
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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 1794, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Franklin’s post office opened in 1827, and the census of 1880 counted 273 people here.
What is on the National Register in Franklin?
Three places: the McCoy House (listed 1982), the Franklin Historic District (1986) and the Priest Mill (2000).
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 (11), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 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.
2014
2014
2012
2012
2012
2011
2004
2004
2003
