Franklin Parish (, ) is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. As of the 2020, its population was 19,774. The

parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...

and the most populous municipality is Winnsboro. The parish was founded in 1843 and 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 ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the parish has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 425 * Louisiana Highway 4 * Louisiana Highway 15 * Louisiana Highway 17 * Louisiana Highway 577

Adjacent parishes

* Richland Parish (north) * Madison Parish (northeast) * Tensas Parish (southeast) * Catahoula Parish (south) * Caldwell Parish (west)

National protected area

* Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

Towns

* Winnsboro (parish seat and largest municipality) * Wisner

Villages

* Baskin * Gilbert

Unincorporated communities

* Chase * Crowville * Extension * Fort Necessity * Jigger * Liddieville

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,774 people, 7,423 households, and 5,130 families residing in the parish.

Education

Franklin Parish School Board operates local public schools. Franklin Parish High School is the sole public high school in the parish. The parish also hosts two private schools. One of them, Franklin Academy in Winnsboro, was opened as a segregation academy on September 14, 1970, three weeks after parish schools were ordered by a federal judge to desegregate. Franklin Academy's student body is 97% white, while Franklin Parish High School's is majority Black.

Culture

Franklin Parish hosts the annual Franklin Parish

Catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

Festival with music, attractions and hundreds of vendors. The 2018 festival was attended by over 10,000 people in bad weather but usually the draw is between 15,000 and 20,000. People from across the region are attracted by the relatively high vendor count and this has an important economic contribution for local businesses. In past years the festival has included an

antique car An antique car is an automobile that is an antique. Narrower definitions vary based on how old a car must be to qualify. The Antique Automobile Club of America defines an antique car as over 25 years of age. However, the legal definitions for the ...

show, a zoo exhibit for children and an exhibit about Louisiana's contributions during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, along with performances from Grammy-winning artists Jo-El Sonnier and Jason Crabb.

Notable people

* Ralph E. King, Winnsboro physician who represented Catahoula, Franklin, and Richland parishes in the Louisiana State Senate from 1944 to 1952 and again from 1956 to 1960 * Anthony "Booger" McFarland, Winnsboro native; All-American football player at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

; played in

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Politics

References

{{authority control Louisiana parishes 1843 establishments in Louisiana Populated places established in 1843