FRANKLIN COUNTY

Franklin was formed in 1779 from Bute county (which is no longer in existence). It was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. It is in the northeastern section of the State and is bounded by Nash, Wake, Granville, Vance, and Warren counties. The present land area is 492.02 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 60,619. Of that population, 40,003 were white, 16,212 were black or African American, 329 were American Indian, 288 were Asian, 12 were Pacific Islander and 2,666 were of a different race. Another 1,109 were reported to be of two or more races and 4,776 were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The act establishing the county authorized that the first court be held at the home of Benjamin Seawell. The justices were to determine where subsequent courts were to be held until the courthouse could be erected. In 1779 Lewisburg was established on land purchased by the commissioners for the erection of the courthouse. Louisburg is the county seat.

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Franklin County is predominantly in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin, though a small area in the south and southwestern part of the county falls in the Neuse River Basin. It is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)