About Franklin

In the 1830’s, Franklin was first established as a railroad stop along the Blackwater River, which was used to transport goods to and from the Ambermarle Sound in North Carolina. In 1862, Franklin took part in a Civil War event known as the Joint Expedition Against Franklin, in which a band of local Confederates opened fire upon a United States Navy Flag steamship led by USS Commodore Perry. The town of Franklin only began to boom after the late 1880’s, due to the financial successes of the Camp Family’s saw mill company. The company, known as Camp Corporation, really thrived during World War I, and the Camp Family, with a strong sense of family and community, paid higher than average wages and gave much back to the town. Eventually, Camp Corporation mergered with the Union Bag and Paper Company, and then International Paper, and the corporation gained the name Union Camp Corporation. Although Union Camp Corporation no longer exists in Franklin, the Camp Family legacy lives in a number of establishments in Franklin named after the family.

Today, Franklin’s economy is based around agriculture and manufacturing. The Internation Paper Mill located in the outskirts of the town produces lumber, pulp, and paper products. Residents of Franklin are offered education at fine schools such as Franklin High School, and Paul D. Camp Community College. The town also has access to the Franklin Municipal Airport, Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library, and the Southampton Memorial Hospital. The beautiful town of Franklin offers both excellent shopping and dining, but also many recreational activities including fishing, boating, and hunting.

Franklin, Virginia home seekers can use National Relocation to locate Franklin houses, homes, condos, and Franklin apartments for rent. Whether you are looking for Franklin real estate, rentals or Franklin Foreclosures, our services can help. Feel free to use our Franklin neighborhood information and Franklin schools pages to research Franklin.