Franklinton is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,456 at the 2020 census.

History

Franklinton, was established as Franklin Depot in 1839 on land owned by Shemuel Kearney (1791–1860), son of Crawford Kearney and Nancy White. A home constructed by grandfather Shemuel Kearney (1734–1808) was originally located south of town and is currently the second oldest residence in Franklin County, built in 1759. The building was purchased in 2009 and moved to nearby Louisburg for restoration. Franklin Depot changed its name to Franklinton in 1842 when the town was incorporated. Like Franklin County, Franklinton was named for Benjamin Franklin.

Generous offers by local businessmen Washington Duke and Julian S. Carr brought Trinity College to the city of Durham in 1892. This well known school is now called Duke University. A source from the University Archives states that nearby Raleigh was actually the initial approved bidder. The police arrested Green, but then a lynch mob seized him, pulled him behind a car for two miles, and hung him from a tree.

Franklinton was once home to Albion Academy, a co-educational African-American school started by clergyman Moses A. Hopkins in 1879. Once a State Normal & Industrial School (trade school), it eventually became a graded school and later merged with the B.F. Person School in 1957 to become B.F. Person-Albion High School. When schools were fully integrated, the upper grades consolidated with Franklinton High School in 1969. Mary Little was the first African-American teacher to begin teaching at the newly integrated Franklinton High School, who taught there till her death in 1984. The B.F. Person-Albion High School was renamed Franklinton Elementary School.

Also located in Franklinton is the historic Sterling Cotton Mill, founded by Samuel C. Vann and first opened in 1895. Remaining in the Vann family for many years, the mill was purchased in 1972 by Union Underwear Company, manufacturers of Fruit of the Loom fabric products. Sterling Cotton Mill eventually closed in 1991. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

Burlington Industries, another well known textile and fabric maker at the time, had a facility located in Franklinton known as Vamoco Mills. It closed in 1989, and was demolished in 2007. A third mill was also located in Franklinton which has since closed.

On June 10, 1946, former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson died in a car crash on U.S. Highway 1 in Franklinton.

On April 4, 1963, the entire town of Franklinton was threatened by a large wildfire which consumed roughly of woodlands and destroyed several homes north and west of town. A similar incident occurred on February 10, 2008, covering practically the same area (though not as widespread), about . There were a couple homes which were damaged during that event. U.S. Highway 1 was temporarily closed adjacent to the affected area while firefighters battled the fires. No injuries were reported. High winds and dry conditions were factors in both incidents.

In 1996 Franklinton, North Carolina became the home of Opio Holy Spirit Academy a private school providing an academic arena for both academically gifted and students who face academic challenges from grades k-12. The school was established and directed by Lenora E. Attles-Allen a former elementary school teacher from Boston, Massachusetts. Allen's work became known and respected in Wake, Granville, Vance, and Franklin counties as well as her dedication to the Franklin County Community Restitution Program. Opio Holy Spirit Academy closed its doors for the last time after the final High School commencement ceremony in 2012.

Charles Draughn III was elected to the mayoral position of Franklinton for 8 years, from 1987 to 1995. He is currently working with family law. He was followed in office by Larry Kearney from 1995 to 2003, Jenny McGhee Edwards from 2003 to 2007 and Elic Senter from 2007 to 2015. Current Mayor Art Wright was elected in 2015.

Franklinton has been a Tree City USA community since 1985.

In addition to the Sterling Cotton Mill, the Franklinton Depot, Dr. J. H. Harris House, Shemuel Kearney House, C.L. and Bessie G. McGhee House, Person-McGhee Farm, Dr. J. A. Savage House, and Aldridge H. Vann House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There was also a spur off this line which ran east from Franklinton to Louisburg, originally built in 1884 by the Louisburg Railroad and leased to the Raleigh & Gaston Railroad as a branch line. The two lines were taken over by Seaboard Air Line Railroad in 1900. From 1985 to 1988, the Franklin County Railroad operated the branch line from Franklinton to Louisburg. The section was sold to the North Carolina Department of Transportation in 1990 and the tracks removed a few years later.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Franklinton had a population of 2,456 and 602 families residing in the town. The median age was 36.5 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,025 households in Franklinton, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 31.9% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

|-

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 1,121

| 45.64%

|-

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 1,012

| 41.21%

|-

!scope="row"| Native American

| 6

| 0.24%

|-

!scope="row"| Asian

| 22

| 0.9%

|-

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 129

| 5.25%

|-

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 166

| 6.76%

|}

2010 census

As of the census

Notable people

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  • Henry Bibby, Basketball player and NBA coach
  • Jim Bibby, Baseball player, Henry's brother
  • Wilbur Wade Card, Baseball player, first basketball coach and athletic director at Duke University
  • Jason Michael Carroll, Country music singer
  • Thomas O. Fuller State senator
  • Moses A. Hopkins, Diplomat, clergyman, educator
  • Abby House, Eccentric supporter of Confederate soldiers
  • Wilmont Perry, NFL Football Player, NCAA Division II Football Player of the Year
  • Soupy Sales, Comedian, born Milton Supman
  • Gene Wooten, Bluegrass musician. Born 1953 and played in Nashville TN with The Osborne Brothers

References

  • Franklinton Township Chamber of Commerce, Inc. Franklinton: Credits. Retrieved June 21, 2007.
  • Franklinton, North Carolina; Town of Franklinton (1992). A Walk Through History: A Town Called Franklinton Celebrates Its 150th. Edited by Cheryl Faye Hollar. Cypress Creek Publications. Library of Congress Card Catalog #92-003897.
  • WRAL TV 5 (Raleigh, NC). Franklinton: Credits. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
  • WNCN TV 17 (Raleigh, NC). Franklinton: Credits. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
  • Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413615/]
  • Official town website