Franklin is the southwesternmost

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,180. The

Bureau of Economic Analysis The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the United States Department of Commerce is a U.S. government agency that provides official macroeconomic and industry statistics, most notably reports about the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United ...

combines the city of Franklin with Southampton County for statistical purposes.

History

The city of Franklin had its beginnings in the 1830s as a railroad stop along the

Blackwater River A blackwater river is a type of River#Classification, river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. Most major blackwater rivers are in the Amazon Basin and the Southern United States. The term is used in fluvial ...

. During this era, the river was used to transport goods to and from

Albemarle Sound Albemarle Sound () is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan River, Chowan and Roanoke River, Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean b ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

.Rouse, Parke Jr. "The Timber Tycoons - The Camp Families of Virginia and Florida, and Their Empire, 1887-1987". Southampton County Historical Society, 1988. ASIN: B00071CPSW

Civil War

In 1862, the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

came to Franklin in what was referred to as the Joint Expedition against Franklin. As several U.S. Navy flag

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

s, led by the USS ''Commodore Perry'', tried to pass through Franklin on the Blackwater River, a band of local Confederates opened fire on the ships. As stated by an officer aboard one of the ships, "The fighting was the same— Here and there high banks with dense foliage, a narrow and very crooked stream, with the frequent heavy firing of musketry."United States. US Navy. Report of the Secretary of the Navy, December 1862. pg. 153 During the battle, five were killed in action and sixteen were wounded. As the naval vessels retreated, the Confederates tried to block the narrow Blackwater River by felling large trees across it. In the end, the Confederate attempts failed, as no soldiers were captured and no ships were lost. A total of seven Medals of Honor were awarded to individual seamen for their distinguished service.

Industrialization and the Camp family

It was not until 1887 that Franklin began to see significant growth. Six brothers from the Camp family, with local roots, took possession of a local

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. The sawmill was small and had been operating for several years alongside the Blackwater River With the Camp family's acquisition of the mill, it experienced 20 years of rapid growth under the leadership of Paul Douglas Camp (president), James Leonidas Camp (vice-president) and Robert Judson Camp (secretary-treasurer). Franklin became a stop on the Atlantic and Danville Railway in 1890. At the end of this period, after a bout with near-bankruptcy,

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

brought the Camp family back to financial success, bringing along with it the city of Franklin. By 1918, "Tiny Franklin had become a booming wartime village..." By 1955, the Camp Corporation's annual sales reached $28 million, much of which spread throughout the city of Franklin. The Camp family, with a strong sense of family and community, gave much back to the city of Franklin through above-average wages and generous donations to local causes. On May 29, 1956, the residents of Franklin were informed that the Local Camp Manufacturing Corporation had just negotiated a merger with the Union Bag and Paper company operating out of New York. This merger formed the Union Camp Corporation. The city continued to grow along with Union Camp and was incorporated as an independent city in 1961, separating from Southampton County. Union Camp thrived in Franklin until 1999 when it was acquired by

International Paper The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 39,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31 ...

. Though Union Camp no longer exists in Franklin, the Camp family name lives on. Their legacy is most notable in the community, with Paul D. Camp Community College, the James L Camp Jr.

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

, the Texie Camp Marks Children's Center, and the Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library.

Geography

Franklin is located in southeastern Virginia at (36.6772, -76.9222). Its eastern border is the

, a south-flowing tributary of the

Chowan River The Chowan River (cho-WAHHN)
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

in North Carolina. U.S. Route 58 (Southampton Parkway) follows the southern border of the city, leading east to

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

and to

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. To the west US 58 leads to Emporia. U.S. Route 258 passes through the center of Franklin as East Second Avenue, South Main Street, and South Street; US 258 leads northeast to Windsor, Virginia, and southwest to

Murfreesboro, North Carolina Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,835 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Chowan University. Geography Murfreesboro is located in northwestern Hertford County on high ground sou ...

. 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 of Franklin has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. Isle of Wight County is to the north and east, and Southampton County, is to the north, west, and south.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Franklin has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The

, running along the eastern boundary of the city, played an important role in the industrialization of the city but has not been immune to problems plaguing rivers, most notably flooding. In 1999, in the aftermath of

Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful and large tropical cyclone which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth list of named tropical cyclones, named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1 ...

, downtown Franklin was submerged under as much as of water as the Blackwater River swelled to a historic crest of . The resultant flooding caused the submersion of 182 business and 150 homes, located primarily in downtown. When the hurricane name "Floyd" was retired in 2000, the name chosen as a replacement was Franklin. In 2006, Franklin endured another large-scale flood reaching just below the record water line set from the 1999 flood. The flood was the result of a storm that distributed a large amount of water throughout the watershed in which Franklin resides.

Demographics

2020 census

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 8,582 people, 3,384 households, and 2,277 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 3,767 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 56.9%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 39.4%

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 ...

, 0.7% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.7% from other races, 0.3% Native American, and 1.9% 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. There were 3,384 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% 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, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.2 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 73.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,687, and the median income for a family was $40,299. Males had a median income of $32,083 versus $21,927 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 $18,573. About 16.8% of families and 19.8% 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 34.9% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those aged 65 or over.

Economy

Modern Franklin has two major industrial sectors: agriculture and manufacturing. Franklin is listed as being the 13th-most profitable and 12th-largest farming community in the state. The neighboring areas of

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

and

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

counties, along with the city of

, are all ranked in the 20 most profitable farming counties, with Southampton County being the eighth-largest in the state. With the high agricultural profile of Franklin and the surrounding areas, it was only with the opening of the Camp Lumber Mill in 1887 that the manufacturing sector began to expand. The Camp Lumber Mill became the Union Camp Corporation, which was eventually bought by

. Today, the International Paper mill, located on the eastern boundary of the city, beside the

, produces lumber, pulp and paper products and other chemical by-products. International Paper announced on October 22, 2009, that the paper mill would be permanently closed, which took place in May 2010. This eliminated ~1,100 jobs from the community. They have since resumed limited manufacturing, producing fluff pulp. This resulted in 213 new jobs.

Arts and culture

Arts facilities and museums

Franklin has a mini-museum of firefighting at the Franklin Fire Department. The

Blackwater Regional Library Blackwater Regional Library system serves the counties of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, Isle of Wight, Southampton County, Virginia, Southampton, Surry County, Virginia, Surry, Sussex County, Virginia, Sussex, and the city of Franklin, Virginia ...

system has the Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library.

Events and festivals

Annual events in Franklin include the Lumberjack Festival and the Juneteenth Cultural Celebration. In the fall, the city hosts the Franklin Fall Festival and the Downtown Boo Bash. There is also the annual Franklin Christmas Parade and the Holiday Open House & Craft Fair.

Architecture

Originally the city's train depot, the restored Franklin Depot & Visitors Center is located in Historic Downtown Franklin. The Elms (Franklin, Virginia) is a Queen Anne and

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

style house built in 1898; it is 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 ...

. The seventeen-acre Woods Hills estate is also National Register-listed. The Franklin Historic District includes 226 contributing residential and commercial buildings including the circa 1840 Camp Family Homestead, Pretlow Peanut Company Warehouses, and numerous churches.

Sports

Franklin High School is home to the 2004 and 2008 VHSL Division 1A State Football Champions. Franklin City Schools is home to FIRST Robotics Competition Team 1610 who were winners of the FIRST Robotics NASA/VCU regional robotics competition in 2006 and the FIRST Robotics Virginia regional competition in 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Parks and recreation

The Franklin Department of Parks & Recreation oversees eleven sites, including Barrett's Landing on the

, the Blackwater River Boat Landing, and the Nottoway River Boat Landing which include boat ramps for fishing and boating. James L. Camp Jr.

is located in Franklin.

Government

Franklin is heavily Democratic, having supported Democrats in presidential elections in every election since 1984.

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

won the highest percentage of the vote for any Democrat in the city's history in both 2008 and 2012, and since then every Democratic candidate has gained over 60% of the vote. Both major parties of the United States political system operate in Franklin with official committees. The Democratic Party of Virginia is represented by City Councilman (Ward 5) Gregory McLemore (D) who became Chairman of the Franklin Democratic Committee in 2020. Since at least 2012, the Republican Party of Virginia did not have official representation for the City of Franklin due to the lack of appointment of a representative for Franklin, which combined with Southampton County forms the Franklin-Southampton Republican Party ("FSGOP"), one of three multi-jurisdictional "Combined Units" throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia in Republican Party of Virginia politics. In 2020, the City of Franklin's political representation to the 3rd Congressional District of Virginia GOP Committee was re-established with the election of Timothy C. Bradshaw, a local entrepreneur and political outsider, as Chairman of the Franklin City / Southampton County Republican Committee, while an elected member of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors, Christopher Cornwell, was appointed to represent Southampton County to the 4th Congressional District GOP Committee.

Education

Franklin City Public Schools includes S. P. Morton Elementary School which includes pre-K through 5, J. P. King, Jr. Middle School which includes grades 6 through 8, and Franklin High School which includes grades 9 through 12. Paul D. Camp Community College is also located in Franklin.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Air transit

The Franklin Municipal Airport (John Beverly Rose Field) is located in Franklin.

Primary Routes

Healthcare

The Bon Secours - Southampton Medical Center is a 221-bed hospital located in Franklin.

Utilities

Franklin Municipal Power and Light provide electricity for the city.

Notable people

* Randy Blythe (1971- ), musician

Lamb of God (band) Lamb of God is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994 as Burn the Priest, the group consists of bassist John Campbell, vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton (guitarist), Mark Morton and ...

* Terry Bradshaw,

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

coach * James Leonidas Camp, founder and vice-president of Camp Manufacturing Company, later Union Camp * Paul Douglas Camp, founder and president of Camp Manufacturing Company, later Union Camp * Robert Judson Camp, founder and secretary/treasurer of Camp Manufacturing Company, later Union Camp * Paul Councill, politician * Colgate Darden (1897-1981), politician,

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

president, namesake of Darden School of Business * Georgia Mabel DeBaptiste, journalist, teacher, and social worker * Wyatt Durrette, attorney and politician * John James Dyer,

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the United States District Court for the District of Iowa * Garland Gray, politician * Lansing Hatfield,

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

opera singer and radio personality * Della Irving Hayden (1851-1924), founder of the Franklin Normal and Industrial Institute * Joseph Holland, stage and screen actor * Mul Holland, professional baseball player * Richard Hudson, congressman * William B. Lindsey, politician * Pauline C. Morton, educator and activist * Charlie Peete (1929-1956), baseball player * William V. Rawlings, attorney and politician * Fleming Rutledge (1937-), preacher, author, and Episcopalian priest * B. Scott, television personality, radio show host, and

internet celebrity An Internet celebrity, also referred to as an Internet personality, is an individual who has acquired or developed their fame and notability on the Internet. The growing popularity of social media provides a means for people to reach a large ...

* Greg Scott (1979- ), professional football player, philanthropist *

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor, whose Hollywood career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in dramas, come ...

, film actor * Charlie Whitehead, soul singer

References

External links

City of Franklin official website
*
Franklin-Southampton Economic Development, Inc. official websiteEscape to Tradition - Official Tourism websiteHampton Roads Economic Development Alliance
serving Franklin {{authority control Cities in Virginia Black Belt (U.S. region) Majority-minority counties and independent cities in Virginia