Franklin is a city in

Merrimack County, New Hampshire Merrimack County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 153,808, making it the third most populous county in New Hampshire. Its county seat ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 8,741, the lowest figure of

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

's 13 cities. Franklin includes the village of West Franklin.

History

Situated at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers that form the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

, the town was settled by Anglo-European colonists in 1764 and originally known as "Pemigewasset Village". It was taken from portions of

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

, Sanbornton and Northfield. The name "Franklin" was adopted in 1820 in honor of statesman and founding father

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

Water power Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...

from the falls on the Winnipesaukee River helped it develop as a

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe ...

. It incorporated as a town in 1828, and then as a city in 1895.

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...

was born in a section of Franklin that was then part of Salisbury. There is a state historic site located off Route 127 that preserves the famous orator's childhood home. As an adult, Webster owned "The Elms", a farm near the

along present-day Route 3. In 1943, the Army Corps of Engineers created the Franklin Falls Reservoir above Franklin by constructing the

Franklin Falls Dam The Franklin Falls Dam is located on the Pemigewasset River in the city of Franklin, New Hampshire, in the United States. The dam was constructed between 1939 and 1943 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers and ext ...

for

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

on the Pemigewasset River.

Image gallery

File:Bird's-eye View, Franklin, NH.jpg, Bird's eye view File:Merrimack River, Franklin, NH.jpg, Merrimack River in 1905 File:Old High School, Franklin, NH.jpg, Old High School in 1908 File:View of Central Street, Franklin, NH.jpg, Central Street in 1909 File:Sulloway Mills, Franklin, NH.jpg, Sulloway Mills File:Webster Birthplace, Franklin, NH.jpg, Daniel Webster birthplace File:FranklinNH CityHall.jpg, City Hall File:FranklinNH FreePublicLibrary.jpg, The library

Geography

Franklin is located in northern Merrimack County at (43.446956, −71.656966). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 5.95% of the town. It is drained by the Winnipesaukee, Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers. Webster Lake is in the north. The highest point in Franklin is an unnamed summit near the northwestern corner of the city limits, where the elevation reaches approximately above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Franklin lies fully within the

watershed.

U.S. Route 3 U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States Numbered Highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–United States border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257. Massachu ...

and New Hampshire Route 11 form Central Street, the main street of Franklin. Heading east, the two routes lead to Tilton and

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia (, , ) is a historical and Administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparti (municipality), Sparta. The word ...

. US 3 leads south to Boscawen and Concord, while NH 11 goes west to

and New London. New Hampshire Route 127 also passes through downtown Franklin, leading southwest to

and Contoocook, and north into Sanbornton. New Hampshire Route 3A leads north from West Franklin to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

Adjacent municipalities

* Sanbornton (northeast) * Tilton (east) * Northfield (southeast) * Boscawen (south) *

(southwest) *

(west) *

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

(northwest)

Climate

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 8,477 people, 3,407 households, and 2,179 families residing in the city. There were 3,938 housing units, of which 531, or 13.5%, were vacant. 193 of the vacant units were for seasonal or recreational use. The racial makeup of the town was 96.2%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.8%

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n, 0.02%

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was set ...

or Pacific Islander, 0.3% some other race, and 1.7% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. Of the 3,407 households, 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were headed by

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, 22.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.0% were from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. For the period 2011–2015, the estimated median annual income for a household was $43,237, and the median income for a family was $52,390. Male full-time workers had a median income of $43,179 versus $34,708 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $22,318. 21.1% of the population and 16.6% of families were below the poverty line. 40.2% of the population under the age of 18 and 12.5% of those 65 or older were living in poverty.

Education

* Franklin High School * Franklin Middle School * Paul Smith Elementary School

Sites of interest

* Sulphite Railroad Bridge (the "upside-down" railroad bridge) * Daniel Webster Birthplace State Historic Site

Notable people

* Jedh Barker (1945–1967), U.S. Marine; posthumously received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

* Vaughn Blanchard (1889–1969), Olympic track and field athlete * Cornelia James Cannon (1876–1969), feminist reformer *

Walter Bradford Cannon Walter Bradford Cannon (October 19, 1871 – October 1, 1945) was an American physiologist, professor and chairman of the Department of Physiology at Harvard Medical School. He coined the term " fight or flight response", and developed the theory ...

(1871–1945), physiologist * Warren F. Daniell (1826–1913), manufacturer, stock breeder, banker, U.S. congressman *

Ram Dass Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert; April 6, 1931 – December 22, 2019), also known as Baba Ram Dass, was an American spiritual teacher, guru of modern yoga, psychologist, and writer. His best-selling 1971 book '' Be Here Now'', which has been d ...

(1931–2019), spiritual leader (occasional resident) *

John King Fairbank John King Fairbank (May 24, 1907September 14, 1991) was an American historian of China and United States–China relations. He taught at Harvard University from 1936 until his retirement in 1977. He is credited with building the field of China ...

(1907–1991), historian (summer resident) * Robert Moller Gilbreth (1920–2007), New Hampshire state legislator, educator, businessman * Robert M. Leach (1879–1952), U.S. congressman * G. W. Pierce (1872–1956), professor of

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

in the development of electronic

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

* Katherine Call Simonds (1865–1946), musician, dramatic soprano, author, composer *

(1782–1852), Secretary of State, U.S. senator, congressman

References

External links

*
Franklin Public Library

Franklin Historical Society

Franklin Opera House

{{authority control Cities in New Hampshire Cities in Merrimack County, New Hampshire Populated places established in 1828 Massachusetts populated places on the Merrimack River 1828 establishments in New Hampshire