Transcription contributed by Martie Callihan 6 January 2005

The History of Warren County Ohio
Part IV Township Histories
Franklin Township by W. C. Reeder
(Chicago, IL: W. H. Beers Co, 1882; reprint, Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, 1992)

Page
527

Franklin is situated ten miles northwest of Lebanon, on the Great Miami River. Through it passes the Miami Canal, the C., C., C. & L R. R. and the Dayton & Cincinnati Turnpike. In Howe's Historical Collections, the first cabin is said to have been built on or near Lot 21, Front street, the lot now owned and occupied by E. B. Thirkield. In the spring of 1796, six or eight cabins stood on the town plat. A church, common for all denominations, on the site of the Baptist Church, was the first erected, about the year 1808. The house occupied by J. N. C. Schenck during his life was partly built at a very early date—probably as early as 1796 or 1797, by Mr. Crane, who afterward located north of town. Mrs. Mary Campbell, who is still living, at the age of ninety-six, attended a party in the house above mentioned about 1798. The house occupied by W. S. Evans, on Front street, just above Third, was built by Gen. W. C. Schenck in 1798. The house lately removed by the Rossmans to make room for their magnificent brick, was probably one of the oldest houses in town and was occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Campbell. Here Lewis D. Campbell was born and passed his boyhood. The old Clutch property, opposite the Presbyterian Church, lately torn down, was another old house.

Although Franklin is old, yet its progress for several years past has been marked. In 1840, it contained three churches, a high school, four dry goods stores, two grocery stores, two forwarding and commission houses and had 770 inhabitants. In 1881, it contains 2,700 inhabitants, has a printing-office, a graded school, three dry goods houses, two notion houses, eight groceries, three bakeries, two confectioneries, two news depots, three hardware stores, two banks, two hotels, numerous boarding-houses, ten or twelve saloons, three harness stores, four shoe stores, two watch-makers, two telegraph offices, one telephone exchange and several of the largest manufactories in the Miami Valley. There are also five church buildings and three congregations that rent, making eight church organizations in all.