Franklin, Ohio
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Franklin is a city in
Warren County, Ohio Warren County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 242,337. Its county seat is Lebanon, Ohio, Lebanon and largest c ...
, United States, along the
Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nat ...
. The population was 11,690 at the 2020 census. The city lies about southwest of
Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
and northeast of
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
. Ohio State Routes 73, 123 and 741 pass through Franklin, while
Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
is routed to the east side of the city.


History

Franklin was founded by General William C. Schenck, in 1796. The settlement was named for
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 ...
. Franklin was incorporated in 1814, and became a city in 1951. One of the first four post offices in Warren County was established in Franklin in 1805. The first postmaster was John N.C. Schenck, brother of General Schenck. The Franklin Post Office still stands (in a different location), and is one of four sites in Franklin listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
, along with the Mackinaw Historic District. Construction of the
Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a co ...
occurred between 1825 and 1845. The canal followed the Great Miami River through Franklin, and the boat traffic led to new commerce. The town soon had a pork slaughterhouse, barrel making factory, sawmill, and whiskey distillery. Franklin's first mayor, Dr. Absalom Death, was elected at a tavern meeting in 1837. Dr. Death went on to be director of a medical college in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
. In its history, two doctors in Franklin have been named "Dr. Death". By the 1850s, the Franklin area was noted for breeding racehorses. One chestnut-colored mare, ''Nightingale'', sired by '' Mambrino'' and ''Wood's Hambletonian'', set a 3-mile harness racing record of 6:55½ in 1893. A railroad was completed with a depot in Franklin in 1872. The town continued to prosper, and by 1890, five paper mills were located in Franklin. The town's economy suffered a setback in 1896, when Franklin's only bank crashed. A longtime and trusted teller had embezzled vast amounts of money, affecting the fortunes of many individuals and businesses. The town marshal of Franklin, George Basore, was shot and killed in 1906 while attempting to arrest an African American man, George White. When White was arrested, a crowd of 300 gathered outside the Franklin jail intent on lynching him. The sheriff and two deputies were able to remove White and take him to nearby
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
for his safety. The ''New York Times'' reported: "The whole town of Franklin is wrought up over the affair. Colored people were chased out without being given time to explain". White died the following year in the electric chair. In 1907, Franklin's fire chief, B.H. Miller, walked into the police station and shot dead one of the prisoners who had allegedly had an affair with his wife a month earlier. The town was devastated by the
Great Flood A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these myths and the primeva ...
of March 1913, when the Great Miami River overflowed its banks. Franklin opened what was considered the world's first garbage-recycling plant in 1971. Designed and built by the Black Clawson Company, the plant recycled metals from solid waste, and used recovered paper fibers to make roofing materials. In 1989, Ronald Peters, a café owner in Franklin, was alleged to be the principal bookmaker for baseball player
Pete Rose Peter Edward Rose Sr. (April 14, 1941 – September 30, 2024), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of ...
. In 2015, The Museum of Spiritual Art opened. In 2017, Franklin attracted national attention in the week following the
Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...
in
Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
, when the city removed an obscure Confederate marker honoring
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
that had existed along the right-of-way of
Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network o ...
. The marker had been dedicated in 1927 by the
United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, a ...
in what was at that time a part of Franklin Township.


Geography

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 is land and is water.


Climate


Demographics


2010 census

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 11,771 people, 4,667 households, and 3,162 families residing in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...
was . There were 5,026 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city 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 ...
, 0.9%
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 ...
, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.
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 were 1.6% of the population. There were 4,667 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were
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, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.2% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.


2000 census

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 2000, there were 11,396 people, 4,553 households, and 3,155 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,802 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.51%
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 ...
, 0.82%
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 ...
, 0.12% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.32% from other races and 0.82% from two or more races.
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 were 0.71% of the population. There are 4,553 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were
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, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,142, and the median income for a family was $45,152. Males had a median income of $35,401 versus $24,752 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 $17,910. About 8.2% of families and 10.1% of the population were 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 ...
, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Franklin is served by the public Franklin City School District, which includes the following schools: * Anthony Wayne Elementary School * Hunter Elementary School * Schenck Elementary School * Pennyroyal Elementary School * Gerke Elementary School * Franklin Junior High School. * Franklin High School. The city is also served by the private Bishop Fenwick High School under the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church that covers all of the dioceses in the State of Ohio. As of 2025, the archbishop of Cincinnati is Robert Casey. T ...
. Franklin is home to the Franklin Public Library, a branch of the Franklin-Springboro Public Library.


Notable people

*
Samuel Bigger Samuel Bigger (March 20, 1802 – September 9, 1846) was the seventh governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from December 9, 1840, to December 6, 1843. Bigger was nominated to run for governor because he had no connection to the failed public wo ...
, seventh
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
*
Lewis D. Campbell Lewis Davis Campbell (August 9, 1811 – November 26, 1882) was an American politician as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative for Ohio. Over his political career he was elected as a Whig Party (United States), Whig, Rep ...
,
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
for
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
* Mary Kennedy Carter, teacher and civil rights activist * Will Earhart, music educator. * Bergen Evans, lexicographer, Rhodes Scholar, professor, and television host. * Edwin F. Harding, commander of U.S. National Guard 32nd Infantry Division * Justin Woodward Harding, judge on the tribunal presiding over the
Judges' Trial The Judges' Trial (; or, the Justice Trial, or, officially, ''The United States of America vs. Josef Altstötter, et al.'') was the third of the 12 trials for war crimes the United States, U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Ger ...
* Darrell Hedric, college basketball coach * Gene Huff, member of
Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...
and
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
* Luke Kennard,
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represents Duke University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team is fourth all-time in wins of any NCAA men's basketball program, and is curr ...
player, 12th overall pick by the
Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
in the
2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...
*
Travis Lakins Travis Clay Lakins Sr. (born June 29, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Ori ...
, former pitcher for
Ohio State Buckeyes baseball The Ohio State Buckeyes baseball team is the college baseball team of Ohio State University. The program, founded in 1881, was the first athletic team in Ohio State history. Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, has been the home field of the p ...
, former pitcher for the
Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
and
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
*
Frank Lickliter Franklin Ray Lickliter II (born July 28, 1969) is an American professional golfer. He featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, going as high as 41st in 2001. Early life Lickliter was born in Middletown, Ohio, adjacent to his ho ...
, professional golfer *
John Patterson MacLean John Patterson MacLean (March 12, 1848 – August 12, 1939) was an American Universalist minister, archaeologist and historian. During his time at Ohio State University, he specialized in the history of the Shakers, a religious group. Biogr ...
, Universalist minister, archaeologist, and historian * William A. Newell, 18th
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
* James F. Schenck,
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
admiral and brother of Robert * John N. C. Schenck, first post master of the Miami River Valley and early plotter of Warren County * Robert C. Schenck,
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
general and brother of James * William Cortenus Schenck, American army general in the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
, pioneer surveyor of the
Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...
, and founder of Franklin; father of James and Robert * Derik Steiner, professional football player * Shannon Stewart, fashion model and beauty pageant contestant * Wilbur P. Thirkield, president of
Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...
* Bob Timberlake, professional football player


References


Further reading

* Elva R. Adams. ''Warren County Revisited''. ebanon, Ohio Warren County Historical Society, 1989. * ''The Centennial Atlas of Warren County, Ohio''. Lebanon, Ohio: The Centennial Atlas Association, 1903. * Mabel Eldridge and Dudley Bryant. ''Franklin in the Great Miami Valley''. Edited by Harriet E. Foley. Franklin, Ohio: , 1982. * Harriet E. Foley, editor. ''Carlisle: The Jersey Settlement in Ohio, 1800–1990''. 2nd ed. arlisle, Ohio? The Editor, 1990. * Josiah Morrow. ''The History of Warren County, Ohio''. Chicago: W.H. Beers, 1883. (Reprinted several times) * ''Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer''. 6th ed.
Yarmouth, Maine Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, twelve miles north of the state's largest city, Portland, Maine, Portland. When originally settled in 1636, as North Yarmouth, Maine, North Yarmouth, it was part of the Massachusetts ...
: DeLorme, 2001. * William E. Smith. ''History of Southwestern Ohio: The Miami Valleys''. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1964. 3 vols.


External links


City website

Franklin City Schools
* {{authority control Cities in Warren County, Ohio Populated places established in 1796 Cities in Ohio 1796 establishments in the Northwest Territory