Franklin Township

Geography, Topography, and History

The Township of Franklin is situated in the south central region of the County. It is bounded by Towanda Township to the northeast, Monroe Township to the east, Overton Township to the South, Leroy Township to the west, Granville Township to the northwest, West Burlington Township to the northwest, and Burlington Township to the northeast. It is hydrated by the Towanda Creek, Falls Creek, Coal Run, and Sugar Creek which all run throughout the Township. Schrader Creek serves as the southern border between the Township and Overton Township.

In 1819, the Township was formed from Canton and Towanda Townships. The Township was named to honor Col. John Franklin of Athens. The first settler of the Township came between 1794-1796 by either Daniel Wilcox, or Stephen and David Allen. One of the early settlers of the Township was Burr Ridgeway, who served as the first County Commissioner, and the second editor of the first newspaper. As the Township was established early on, there were several land divisions to form the following townships: Granville Township, LeRoy Township, Overton Township, Burlington Township, and Barclay Township, which occurred between 1831 and 1866. In 1887, census records state that there were 702 residents of the township.

Local Government and Current Data

The Township of Franklin’s local officials include three supervisors, and a secretary who serves as the treasurer as well. Currently, the Township does not have a planning commission, zoning board to enforce regulations, or a comprehensive plan. All subdivisions and land developments are required to meet Bradford County’s standards at the Office of Planning and Grants.

Historically, the Franklin Township area had a period of great economic prosperity, followed by desolation. The former Township of Barclay was founded on the mining of coal underneath its surface in the 1850’s. The town at its busiest times consisted of 2,000 residents. However, at the turn of the Century, many of the mines dried up or became too difficult to reach, and after an epidemic of small pox, the deaths of many wiped away the town of Barclay. The Town of LaQuin built up near the end of Barclay’s days, due to the rail line that went through the neighborhood serving five different locomotives on a daily basis. As the town was predominately forestland, a logging mill began to nearly run the town, with lumber coming from the Schrader tract. The logging mills eventually shut down, and faced the same desolation after
the Great Depression.

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