Franklin

Sister cities

• Kuji

History

Franklin was platted in 1823. It was named after Benjamin Franklin. The Franklin post office was established in 1824. Franklin was incorporated as a city in 1861. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Franklin College Library (Shirk Hall), Franklin College-Old Main, Franklin Commercial Historic District, Franklin Senior High School, Greenlawn Cemetery, Herriott House, Johnson County Courthouse Square, Martin Place Historic District, Masonic Temple, and August Zeppenfeld House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The small town became nationally famous during the 1920s due to the outstanding athletic achievements of the local high school basketball team, who became known as the Franklin Wonder Five. A small group who had played together as boys, led by Fuzzy Vandivier and coached by Ernest "Griz" Wagner, they became the first high school team to win the state championship for three consecutive years (1920–22). The youths followed Wagner to the local Franklin College, where he became coach and they earned the title of national college champions in 1923. They turned down an offer to play against the top professional team, the New York Celtics. The December 2, 1940 issue of Life magazine included a photo essay by Bernard Hoffman entitled, "A Small Town's Saturday Night," depicting farmers Glen and Norris Dunn and family on a typical Saturday night in Franklin: Dad getting a hair cut, and the kids seeing a movie at the Artcraft, people at the drugstore, as well as photos of other social spots, such as Nick's Candy Kitchen and the town's "lovers' lane." The nighttime photo showing double-parked cars and thick crowds on Jefferson Street is perhaps the best known of the set. According to the late-20th century critic James Guimond in his book on…

Geography

Franklin is located south of Indianapolis and north of Louisville, Kentucky, on I-65 and U.S. 31. According to the 2010 census, Franklin has a total area of , all land. There are three small waterways in Franklin: Canary Creek and Hurricane Creek flow into Young's Creek. These creeks flood frequently. Their small floodplain has been adapted as the basis of Franklin's green walkways and parks, which extend the entire length of the town. Hurricane Creek empties into Young's Creek in Province Park, downtown, which flows into the Big Blue River farther South. A buried stream, Roaring Run, flows beneath Franklin. In the June 2008 Midwest floods, all of these streams overflowed, damaging or destroying more than 100 houses throughout Franklin, including some entire neighborhoods. Since 2008, The city of Franklin has bought many of the flood-damaged homes, and cleared them to make more green space, and expand the parks system. Province Park is home to a small family cemetery of the George King family, one of the original founding families of Franklin. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Franklin has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,994
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  7,530
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,614
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  5,857
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,781
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  5,688
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,534
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,497

Largest nearby schools

• Center Grove High School
  High · Greenwood · 2,851 students · 21.1:1 ratio
• Whiteland Community High School
  High · Whiteland · 1,879 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Franklin Community High School
  High · Franklin · 1,610 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Clark Pleasant Middle School
  Middle · Greenwood · 1,553 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Center Grove Middle School Central
  Middle · Greenwood · 1,213 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• Greenwood Community High Sch
  High · Greenwood · 1,175 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Greenwood Middle School
  Middle · Greenwood · 948 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• Maple Grove Elementary School
  Elementary · Bargersville · 782 students · 18.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2004-09-12
  4 km NW of Manilla, Indiana