Franklin is a rural town in Macon County,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 590.

History and educational legacy

The

Muscogee The Muscogee, also known as the Mvskoke, Muscogee Creek, and the Muscogee Creek Confederacy ( in the Muscogee language), are a group of related indigenous (Native American) peoples of the Southeastern WoodlandsOsceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...

(1804-1838), who became well-known as a leader of the

Seminole people The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...

in Florida, was born to a Creek woman at Red Creek, 10 miles from the

Tallapoosa River The Tallapoosa River runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 from the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia, United States, southward and wes ...

. He was of mixed race but identified as Creek; the people have a

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...

kinship system. Franklin has been home to many churches for more than 200 years. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a Methodist Missionary Church operated here for the Creek. It had two cemeteries, one for whites and one for the Creek. James McQueen, a Scots trader who lived here and married a Creek woman, was great-grandfather of

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...

. McQueen is buried in the Indian cemetery. After the Creek were forced to cede their lands, European Americans developed the area for cotton cultivation. They depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans, many of whom were initially transported to this region from the Upper South in the domestic

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Cotton continued as the chief commodity crop after the Civil War. Residents established Franklin School by the 1890s, teaching grades 1–11 of white students. By the mid-1930s, the upper grades had been moved to another facility, and it held grades 1-6. Northern and southern classrooms were adjoined by a common auditorium. The school's original water source was a spring near the buildings. A well was later dug in the front yard of the school, with a hand pump to get water. Heat was provided by a wood-burning

potbelly stove A potbelly stove is a cast-iron, coal-burning or wood-burning stove that is cylindrical with a bulge in the middle. Gove PB (editor in chief) (1981). ''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged''. Springfield ...

. Each student brought a stick of wood every morning to burn in the stove. The school closed in 1942, and its 75–80 students transferred to Tuskegee schools. After the school closed, the northern classroom was moved to its current location and converted to a community center. The rest of the school was torn down. In the mid-20th century, musician Hank Williams Sr. often performed at dances at the community center. Upon Franklin's incorporation in 1977, the town began using the community center building as the town hall. A mile north of Town Hall lay the remnants of what is rumored to be the first school in Macon County. Harris Barrett School was built in 1903 with handmade bricks made by students of the Tuskegee Normal School (now

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

), under the direction of

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...

. In the segregated system of public facilities, the Barrett School was reserved for African-American students, who were mostly descendants of freedmen in this rural area. Both the Barrett School and the

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

played a major role in education in the Franklin community. They operated an experimental farm on the west side of Baldwin Farm Road.

and George Washington Carver were both active in farming in Franklin, and assisted farmers both black and white. Harris Barrett School was restored and is operated as a historic museum; it is located at the corner of Co. Rd. 27 and 36.

Geography

Franklin is located at (32.455388, -85.802884). According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 145 people, 59 households, and 44 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 43 people per square mile (17.2/km²). There were 73 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (8.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 56.38%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

and 43.62%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

. 0.67% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 59 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.69. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 18.1% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $45,923, and the median income for a family was $53,111. Males had a median income of $43,840 versus $40,744 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $45,495. 4.9% of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

. 9.7% of those were over the age of 64.

Government

The Town of Franklin is a mayor-council form of government with a mayor and 5 councilpersons which are elected every four years. The town operates its own police department, volunteer fire department, as well as water system. Mayor ''Henry Peavy'', Mayor Pro-Temp ''David Clinkscales'', Council Members ''Alvin Sears, Memphis Boston, Rheba Knoxx, Robert T. Perry'' Town Clerk/Treasurer ''Micha Segrest'' Chief of Police ''James Chris Johnson, Jr.'' Fire Chief ''Scott Cooper''

References

{{authority control Towns in Macon County, Alabama Towns in Alabama Columbus metropolitan area, Georgia