Franklin West Virginia
“Named for Francis Evick, An Early Settler”
Town of Franklin WV
The town of Franklin is located in Pendleton County in the Allegheny Mountains overlooking the South Branch of the Potomac River in West Virginia. Franklin was formerly known as Frankford and is the county seat of Pendleton county. The town of Franklin is surround by National Forests, the Monongahela National Forest and the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. The town offers a variety of local lodging accommodations such as cabins and vacation rentals, a few motels and inns, along with some local restaurants. Today Franklin flourishes with tourism as a base camp for nearby outdoor adventures surrounding the town.
History of Franklin WV
This region was populated by Native American cultures for centuries prior to the arrival of English immigrants in the mid-18th century. During the French and Indian War, two battles at the frontier fortifications were fought at Upper Tract and Fort Seybert in 1758, both ten miles from Franklin. The land on which Franklin was laid out was first patented by brothers Francis and George Evick in 1769, and was chartered in 1794, by the Legislature of Virginia
Franklin grew steadily over the first half of the 19th century, becoming a local center of commerce and industry. In 1834, there were two stores, two tanneries, three saddlers, two carpenters, two shoemakers, two blacksmiths, one gunsmith, one tailor, one hat-maker, and one cabinet-maker.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Pendleton County voted to uphold Virginia’s Ordinance of Secession, despite strong Union sympathies from many of its residents. On May 8, 1862, Jackson clashed with Union regiments from West Virginia and Ohio under the command of Brigadier General Robert H. Milroy at the Battle of McDowell (some 30 miles from Franklin). After a day of fighting, the Union forces withdrew from the battle and began retreating towards Franklin, pursued by Jackson for nearly a week. The armies clashed briefly at McCoy’s Mill, three miles south of Franklin.
Tragedy struck twice to the town of Franklin. The first tragedy happened on April 17, 1924 when a massive fire destroyed the entire business district and caused $500,000.00 in damages. The second disaster struck the town in 1985 when the South Branch of the Potomac River in Franklin crested at 22.6 feet during the 1985 Election day floods.
- North Fork Mountain
- John Guilday Caves Preserve
- The Monongahela National Forest
- Spruce Knob Recreation Area
- Seneca Rocks
- Seneca Rocks Discovery Center
- George Washington National Forest
- Jefferson National Forest
- Treasure Mountain Festival
- Spring Fest
- Blackwater Falls State Park
- Canaan Valley Resort State Park
- Dolly Sods Wilderness
- Big Bend Recreation Area
- Smoke Hole Recreation Area
- Seneca Shadows Recreation Area
- Brandywine Lake Recreation Area
- National Radio Astronomy Observatory