Volume 14 , Issue 40

Pendleton County, (West) Virginia - Town of Franklin

In Oren Frederic Morton's 1910(12) book on the "History of Pendleton County, West Virginia," we learn in chapter XVII, about "The Town of Franklin." In 1769 Francis and George Evick surveyed 160 acres of land on the left bank of the South Branch. This is on a portion of this tract that Franklin was built. George Evick appeared to have lived across the river at the mouth of the Evick gap. The early home of Francis was near a spring that issued from the hillside above the upper street and near the Ruddle tannery.

It was in June, 1788 the first county court of Pendleton met at the house of Captain Stratton, 6 miles below the Evicks. One of the cuties assigned to it by the legislative act creating the county was to determine a central position for the courthouse. They found no motives that led to the selection of the Evick farm. As the southern county line then stood, the position was much less near the center than it was in 1910(12). The Peninger farm near the mouth of the Thorn would more nearly have met the geographical condition. But Francis Evick appeared to have been thrifty and business-like, not with standing his inability to write his name, at least in English. It was probable that Evick presented a more attractive proposition to the county court than anyone else.

The Evicks had been living there about 20 years, yet the neighborhood ws thinly peopled. Up the river the nearest neighbors appeared to have been Ulrich Conrad and Henry Peninger. Conrad built a mill at the mouth of the Thorn about the time the Evicks came. Down the river near the iron bridge was James Patterson. A nearer neighbor in the same direction was George Dice. Above Dice along Friend's Run, Richardsons, Powers and Cassells.

It was within a few weeks after the action of the county court, Francis Evick laid off a town site along the foot of the ridge above his meadows. A little later, George sold his interest in the tract of 160 acres, and moved to a larger farm on Straight Creek. The date of the transaction was August 16, 1788. The place was for several years called Frankford, an abbreviation of "Frank's ford," as the crossing of the river at the mouth of the Evick gap was known.

The county seat of Pendleton was laid out with a method that does credit to all who were concerned in the matter. The ground covered by the original survey was 46-½ acres, the county according to statute law requiring two acres for its public buildings. Within this original area the streets and alleys were straight and the lots were parallelograms.

The selling of lots and building of houses began at once. Evick did not always yield full possession of the ground, yet he had some advanced ideas. He seemed to have been unwilling to sell lots for merely speculative purposes or to permit a lot to harbor a public nuisance.

Robert Davis, the sheriff, bought a lot on the same day that Francis Evick bought out the interest of George. The deed stipulated that the purchaser was to build within two years a good dwelling house, at least 16 by 20 feet in size, and with a chimney of brick or stone. There was to be no distillery on the premises. Each New Year's day he was to pay a ground rent of 33 cents in fold or silver at its current value. If no building were put up, the rent was to be three shillings, or 50 cents.

Within a half dozen years there was a cluster of dwellings of sufficient importance to cause the legislature to designate it as a town under the name of Franklin. The Act of Assembly was dated December 19, 1794. The name Frankford would doubtless have been retained, had not the legislature in 1788 designated a town in Hampshire by that name, to say nothing of the Frankfort in what was the state of Kentucky. The new name of Franklin evidently commemorated the eminent statesman and philosopher, Benjamin Franklin.

The trustees of Franklin, as named in the legislative act were Joseph Arbaugh, Jacob Conrad, James Dyer Sr., John Hopkins, peter Hull, Joseph Johnson, William Mccoy, Oliver McCoy, James Patterson and John Roberts. Another Act, dated Christmas day, 1800, the trustees were authorized to make the establish legal regulations for protecting property from fire, for keeping hogs from running at large, to prohibit the galloping and racing of horses in streets and alleys, and preserving old order generally.

The population at the opening of the new century (1800) was probably about 100, and the growth had ever since been slow though steady. The hamlet springing up around the log courthouse developed into the completeness of an inland town.

James Patterson appeared to have been a merchant as well as justice. The first recorded license to sell goods was granted to Perez Drew in August, 1790. John Roberts was another early merchant, and removed to Washington county, pennsylvania. Aaron Kee opened a store in 1800, but until his drowning in Glady Fork, while on his way to Beverly about 1825, Daniel Capito was the leading an of business.The first license for an ordinary was that granted to Joseph Johnson in 1795.

There was mention of a meeting house in 1790, but this can hardly refer to a church building within the corporate limits. The first mention of a school was in 1802, when the use of the courthouse was granted for this purpose. In 1809 Francis Evick, Jr., deeded two and one-half acres on the west side for the purposes of church, school and cemetery. A commodious frame church was erected thereon by Campbell Masters. The site was between the houses of John McClure and H. M. Calhoun. it remained many years a plain weatherbeaten structure without bell or belfry, but was painted and improved some years prior to the civil war. It was a union church, but at first used mainly by the Lutherans. later it was used chiefly by the United Brethren, Methodists, and Presbyterians.

A schoolhouse was built on the hillside above the Evick spring, and the summit of the knob beyond was used many years as a place of interment. The three roomed schoolhouse stood on the main street, and the town cemetery laid a mile north on the Harrisonburg pike.

In 1834, the town had an authorized existence of forty years, with two stores, two tankards, three saddlers, two carpenters, two shoemakers, two blacksmiths, one gunsmith, one tailor, one hatter, and one cabinet and chairmaker. The professions were represented by two attorneys and one physician. There were also a school, a temperance and bible society. In 1867 a photograph taken did not show a very striking contrast with respect to the upper end of the town, save in the appearance of the Union church. The houses were generally weatherboarded and painted.

Fifteen years after 1867 witnessed a decided growth toward the north and also on the Smith Creek road. Houses of modern design had arisen, and the greater share of the oblong two-storied log dwelling houses had been removed. The number of private houses had increased to about 100, and Franklin was one of the handsomest of small towns of West Virginia, with three stores, two drugstores, two hotels, two tanneries, a bank, a printing office and newspaper, a carding mill, a blacksmith shop, a wheelwright shop and a grocery. There were also two resident ministers, four attorneys, four physicians and a dentist.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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