Franklin, Virginia

Not to be confused with Franklin County, Virginia.

For the city that is now part of West Virginia, see Franklin, West Virginia.

Franklin, Virginia
City
Downtown Franklin Virginia (photographed by Taber Andrew Bain)
Seal
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Virginia
Incorporated	March, 1876
Government
• Mayor	Raytine Johnson-Ashburn
Area
• City	8.3 sq mi (21 km2)
• Land	8.2 sq mi (21 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	39 ft (12 m)
Population (2010)
• City	8,582
• Density	1,045/sq mi (403/km2)
• Metro	1,645,015
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	23851
Area code(s)	757
FIPS code	51-29600
GNIS feature ID	1494943
Website	http://www.franklinva.com/

Franklin is an independent city in Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,582. The Bureau of Economic Analysis 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. During this era, the river was used to transport goods to and from the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina.

Civil War

Main article: Joint Expedition Against Franklin

A historic sign in downtown Franklin with information on the Civil War and Union Camp

In 1862, the American Civil War came to Franklin, in what was referred to as the Joint Expedition Against Franklin As several United States Navy Flag steamships, 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 frequent heavy firing of musketry."

In all, the battle yielded five naval casualties and 16 wounded. As the naval vessels retreated, the Confederates tried to block the narrow Blackwater River by felling large trees across the width. 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

Main article: Union Camp Corporation

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. 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). At the end of this period, after a bout with near-bankruptcy, World War I 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 they 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. Though Union Camp no longer exists in Franklin, the Camp family name lives on. Their legacy is most notable in the community, with the community college Paul D. Camp Community College, the James L Camp Jr. YMCA, the Texie Camp Marks Children's Center, and The Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library.

Economy

Modern day 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 and Isle of Wight counties, along with the city of Suffolk 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 International Paper. Today, the International Paper mill located on the eastern boundary of the city, aside the Blackwater River, 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.

Geography

Flooding after Hurricane Floyd in Franklin, Virginia

Franklin is located at (36.674954, -76.930799).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²), of which 8.2 square miles (21.2 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) (1.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Isle of Wight County, Virginia
• Southampton County, Virginia

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	477		—
1890	875		83.4%
1900	1,143		30.6%
1910	2,271		98.7%
1920	2,363		4.1%
1930	2,930		24.0%
1940	3,466		18.3%
1950	4,670		34.7%
1960	7,264		55.5%
1970	6,880		−5.3%
1980	7,308		6.2%
1990	7,864		7.6%
2000	8,346		6.1%
2010	8,582		2.8%
Est. 2014	8,526		−0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

Age distribution in Franklin

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,582 people, 3,384 households, and 2,277 families residing in the city. The population density was 999.2 people per square mile (385.9/km²). There were 3,767 housing units at an average density of 451.0 per square mile (174.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 39.4% White, 56.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.7% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population were Hispanic 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 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 age 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 for the city was $18,573. About 16.8% of families and 19.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.9% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Blackwater River

22Ft. Water marker in downtown Franklin

1999 Flood memorial

The Blackwater River, 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, downtown Franklin was submerged under as much as 12 feet of water as the Blackwater River swelled to a historical crest of 26.4 feet. The resultant flooding caused the submersion of 182 business and 150 homes, located primarily in downtown. In 2006, after a rainstorm left the area saturated, the river crested at close to 23 feet, the highest crest since 1940 excluding 1999.

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 23 foot water line set from the 1999 flood. The flood was the result of a storm which distributed a large amount of water throughout the watershed in which Franklin resides.

Community

The franklin airport sign with the International Paper papermill in the background.

Education

These are all places that provide education at some level in the area of Franklin.

• The Children's Center
• Rock Church School
• JP King Middle School
• SP Morton Elementary School
• Southampton Academy (Private School) Courtland, VA
• Franklin High School
• Southampton High School
• Southampton Academy - Grades Pre-K through 12th
• Paul D. Camp Community College

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 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.

Community resources

• Franklin Municipal Airport (John Beverly Rose Field)
• Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library
• James L. Camp Jr. YMCA
• Southampton Academy Courtland, VA
• Southampton Memorial Hospital
• The Tidewater News (www.tidewaternews.com)

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Franklin has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Notable people

• Colgate Darden (1897-1981), politician, University of Virginia president, namesake of Darden School of Business
• Charlie Peete (1929-1956), baseball player

See also

• National Register of Historic Places in Franklin, Virginia

External links

• City of Franklin
• Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance - serving Franklin