Franklin

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Franklin, Robertson County. Now, every town's got a story, and Franklin's got a name with a little twist built right into it. Let's start at the beginning.

The year is 1872. A new community takes root on the right-of-way of the International Railway Company, and right away it gets a name. Morgan.

Named for a railroad official. In its very first year, the town had a depot and three stores. Not a bad start for a place that barely existed the season before.

By 1879, Morgan had two hundred residents, and those residents had opinions. Voters made a move that towns don't take lightly. They transferred the county seat all the way from Calvert to Morgan.

That's the kind of vote that changes everything. Then comes 1880, and the town applies for a post office. Seems simple enough.

Except there was already a Morgan, Texas with a post office. Somebody had gotten there first. So the town needed a new name, and it reached back to history for one.

The original county seat had been called Franklin, and that name came forward to carry the town. With a new name and a county seat to justify, Franklin started building in earnest. A stone courthouse, designed by R.

E. Ruffini, was completed in 1882. That same era gave the town its first newspaper, the Franklin Weekly, published by J.

A. Keigewin. By 1885, Franklin had three hotels, three churches, and two gristmills.

And on top of all that, mineral springs were drawing visitors to the area. People came from who knows where just to take in those waters. In 1880, a cemetery was formally established, though it was already holding several graves before anyone made it official.

The first school building, a frame structure, met a hard end in 1894 when it burned. Another was erected in its place. The town kept building well into the twentieth century.

The First National Bank of Franklin was chartered in 1905. The First State Bank followed in 1913. Somewhere along the way, a Carnegie Library went up, built and equipped with an auditorium.

By the 1970s, Franklin was an incorporated community, running itself with a mayor-council form of city government. Started as Morgan, railroad stop with a depot and three stores. Ended up as Franklin, county seat, with banks and a library and mineral springs that pulled travelers off the road for years.

Not bad for a town that had to give up its first name just to get a post office.

What the marker says

This community was established in 1872 and named Morgan for a railroad official. Located on the right-of-way of the International Railway Company, the town contained a depot and three stores in its first year. By 1879, the town had 200 residents and voters transferred the county seat from Calvert to Morgan. The community applied for a post office in 1880. Another Texas post office was named Morgan, so the town name was changed to Franklin after the name of the original county seat. A stone courthouse, designed by R. E. Ruffini, was completed in 1882. The town's first newspaper, the Franklin Weekly, was published by J. A. Keigewin. By 1885, Franklin had three hotels, three churches, and two gristmills. Mineral springs attracted visitors to the area for many years. A cemetery was formally established in 1880 at a site where several graves were already in existence. The community's first school building, a frame structure, burned in 1894 and another was erected. The First National Bank of Franklin was chartered in 1905; the First State Bank was established in 1913. A Carnegie Library was built and equipped with an auditorium. By the 1970s Franklin, an incorporated community, had a mayor-council form of city government. (1997)