Franklin County, Texas

Franklin County is located in northeast Texas near the Oklahoma and Arkansas state lines, surrounded by Red River County to the north, Titus County to the east, Camp County to the southeast, Wood County to the south, Hopkins County to the west and Delta County to the northwest. Mount Vernon, the county seat is about 100 miles northeast of Dallas and 78 miles southwest of Texarkana.

Cities, Towns and Communities

Hagansport | Mount Vernon – county seat | Purley | Scroggins | Winnsboro (mostly in Wood County)

History

Franklin County. Formed from Titus County, created March 8, 1875; organized April 30, 1875. Named in honor of Benjamin C. Franklin, 1805-1873, hero of San Jacinto, district judge of the Republic of Texas, member of the Legislature. Mt. Vernon, county seat. Texas Centennial Historical Marker. Marker erected 1936. Located in the traffic triangle of US 67 and SH 37 junction, 1 mi. west of Courthouse, Mount Vernon.

Franklin County was marked off by the legislature in March 1875 and named for Judge Benjamin C. Franklin, an early Red River County settler. An election was held on April 30, 1875, to select the county seat. Mount Vernon won by a large majority, and the matter was never again contested. In 1880 the county had a population of 5,280. The most important factor inhibiting growth was the lack of adequate transportation. The county had no navigable waterways and before 1876 no railroad. This deficiency, coupled with the availability of equally suitable croplands nearer Jefferson, the major market for Northeast Texas, prevented the area from becoming dominated by plantation agriculture in antebellum Texas. In 1887 the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railway was built across the center of the county and became the major access to market for most farmers. Between 1884 and 1890 Mount Vernon, the largest town and major shipping point, grew from an estimated 350 to an estimated 700 residents.

County Histories

Historical Records of Franklin County, Texas, compiled by Billy Hicks and Doris Meeks, Franklin County Historical Survey Committee, 1972.

Courthouses

Franklin County has had two courthouses, both in Mount Vernon.

Location

Mount Vernon, TX 33° 11′ 19.4172″ N, 95° 13′ 16.7952″ W

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