Franklinton is a town in, and 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 ...

of Washington Parish,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 3,857 at the 2010 census. The elevation is an average of above sea level. Franklinton is located north of

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. A Franklinton physician, Jerry Thomas, represented Washington Parish in the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

from 1988 to 1999. He was elected to the District 12 seat in the

state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

, serving from 1999 to 2004. He had succeeded Phil Short of Covington, who resigned. Prior to his state service, Dr. Thomas was the Washington Parish coroner from 1980 to 1988. Elected in 2015, Beth Mizell, a businesswoman from Franklinton, is the current District 12 state senator.

History

Franklinton was founded in 1819, originally under the name of Franklin. It was designated as the parish seat of government on February 10, 1821, two years after the parish was carved out from St. Tammany Parish. In 1826 the town's name was changed to Franklinton, as there was already another town named Franklin in St. Mary Parish. In 1826, representatives and citizens from both communities showed up in then-state-capital

to state their cases for keeping the name "Franklin." The legislature allowed Franklin in St. Mary Parish to retain its name, while changing the Washington Parish's newer

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

to Franklinton. The parish was largely rural, based in extensive pine forests.

20th century to present

*1935 lynching: In the early hours of January 11, 1935, a small group of white men forced their way into the Washington Parish jail in Franklinton, fatally shooting and beating Jerome Wilson, 30, an African-American man convicted of murder. He had pleaded for mercy. Five days earlier the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (; ) is the supreme court, highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Supreme ...

had granted Wilson a new trial, on the grounds that he had not received a fair trial. The decision cited that he was tried, convicted, and sentenced within ten days of his arrest in August in the slaying of Deputy Sheriff Delos C. Wood in a gunfight on the Wilson place. The lynch party took Wilson's body by car and dumped it along a rural road three miles (5 km) from town; then they dispersed. The body was found by a passerby on the road two hours later. Police officers said they thought Wilson was shot because his cries would have aroused parish authorities, who twice had thwarted attempts to lynch him.''New York Times''; January 13, 1935 In 2005, much of Franklinton, as well as most of Washington Parish, sustained damage from

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. It caused extensive damage along the Gulf Coast.

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 town has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km), of which 4.1 square miles (10.7 km) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km) (0.95%) is water. The Bogue Chitto River flows through the western edge of the town.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,662 people, 1,739 households, and 930 families residing in the town.

Economy

The town's economy is based heavily on the parish agriculture, forestry, and some commercial industry. Many residents commute south into St. Tammany Parish for employment.

Arts and culture

The Washington Parish Free Fair, the largest free fair in the US and the second-largest county fair in Louisiana, is held during the third week of October each year at the Washington Parish Fair Grounds in Franklinton.

Media

''The Era-Leader'', the oldest newspaper in Washington Parish, is based in Franklinton and covers mainly the western half of the parish. It is the Official Journal of Washington Parish. '' The Daily News'' is published once per week. It is based in Bogalusa but it covers all of the parish.

In popular culture

The book, ''Dead Man Walking'' (1993) by Sister Helen Prejean, and the 1995

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

of the same name adapted from the book, referred to the murder of Faith Hathaway by Robert Lee Willie and Joseph Vaccaro, and their convictions. The murder took place at Fricke's Cave (now part of Bogue Chitto State Park).

Education

*Washington Parish School System *Mount Hermon PreK-12th *Franklinton High School *Franklinton Jr High *Franklinton Elementary School *Franklinton Primary School * Bowling Green School

National Guard

Franklinton is the home of the 843rd Engineer Company. It is part of the 205th Engineer Battalion in Bogalusa, and the larger 225th Engineer Brigade of the

Louisiana National Guard The Louisiana National Guard (; ) is the armed force through which the Louisiana Military Department executes the U.S. state of Louisiana's security policy. Consisting of the Louisiana Army National Guard, a reserve component of the United States ...

Notable people

* Lucius Barker, American political scientist * Twiley Barker, American political scientist * John L. Crain, president of

Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it beca ...

* Derrick Dillon, professional football player * Katherine Haik, Miss Teen USA 2015 * Adrian Magee, professional football player * Ruchell Magee, convicted in 1970 Marin County Civic Center attacks * Terrence Magee, professional football player * Beth Mizell, businesswoman and Louisiana state senator * Chanda Rigby, head coach of

Troy Trojans The Troy Trojans are the sports teams of Troy University. They began playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's Division I (NCAA), Division I-A in 2001 in sports, 2001, became a American football, football only member of the ...

women basketball team

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, Franklinton 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.Climate Summary for Franklinton, Louisiana
/ref>

References

External links

Town of Franklinton

''The Daily News'', Bogalusa

''The Era-Leader'', Franklinton

Washington Parish Free Fair
{{authority control * Towns in Louisiana Parish seats in Louisiana Towns in Washington Parish, Louisiana 1819 establishments in Louisiana