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Herschlers Winery |
Franklin was mandated by the Territorial Legislature to be the County Seat in 1840. Three men, John Brown, Johnson Chapman, and Thomas Douglas, donated 160 acres of land for the proposed County Seat. Fort Madison and West Point also wanted the County Seat, so an election was held, and Fort Madison won the election. Another election was held to finally resolve the issue and Fort Madison was named the County Seat. Franklin never held the honor for which it was created.
There were three school buildings in Franklin. Two do not exist anymore, which are the German School (1856) and the Mennonite School (1868). The third School, the Franklin Independent School (1872), no longer holds classes but is used as the town hall.
There were many businesses, shops, and stores in Franklin in the 1860’s. They are as follows: two Meat Markets, two Tailor Shops, one Cobbler Shop, Harness Shop, Blacksmith Shop, a Furniture Store, a Hotel, two Breweries, a Cooperage or Barrel Shop, a Drug Store, two Wagon Manufacturing Plants, a Millinery Shop, two Flour Mills, two Quarries, one Saw Mill, one Woolen Mill, one Livery Stable, one Rug-making Shop, and one Post Office.
There were three churches in Franklin at one time. The Baptists began the erection of the first church, but they sold it to the Methodists before it was completed. The Methodists could not maintain the church so they sold it to William Tillman who used it to store goods. The first proper church building was built by the Evangelical Congregation in 1856. Today, this church is called the St. Peters United Church of Christ, and has a congregation of 80 members. The German Presbyterian Church was built in 1862 but no longer stands. The Mennonites built their church in 1868. While building the church, they also built a school and a residence for their pastor (these buildings no longer stand).
About 1871, the railroad was coming through Lee County. Franklin was asked to raise $500.00 to build a train station, but they refused. So the Railroad was laid out two miles south of the town. Franklin later regretted this decision and built a station next to the Railroad line. The first station burned, so they built another.
Between 1870 and 1871 the town decided to change its name from Franklin to Franklin Centre. The reason for this was the Railroad, and it’s the center of Lee County.
Franklin Centre was incorporated in 1876. The town got 30 people to sign a petition in 1875 that was taken to the District Court in Fort Madison, where an election was ordered. On June 25, 1876, an election was held, thirty-one for and eleven against. In 1910, by act of Legislation, the name of the town was changed back to Franklin.
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Franklin City Hall |
Franklin is noted for a number of historical sites and many original homes handcrafted from blocks of native stone by artisans of the period.
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