Franklin is a city where French Creek meets the Allegheny River. It is the seat of Venango County. The population is around 6,500.



Franklin began as the site of a fort. The first fort was Fort Machault, built by the French in 1753. That fort was destroyed in 1760, and was replaced by the British Fort Venango in the same year. Fort Venango was destroyed in 1763, and the Americans built Fort Franklin in 1787 as a defense from Indian attacks. The original Fort Franklin, named for Benjamin Franklin, was abandoned in 1796, and a fourth fort was built later on, to last until 1824.



Franklin was an important site for transporting goods to the Great Lakes. Boats would take French Creek from the Allegheny River up to Waterford, where goods would then be carried the relatively short distance over land to Lake Erie. The U.S. Navy used this route to get supplies to the lake during the War of 1812.



In 1828, Franklin was incorporated as a borough. The timber and iron industries played roles in the slow development of the community. In 1859, Edwin Drake discovered oil in the northern part of the county and drilled the first oil well in the world. Wells were then drilled outside of Franklin in 1860, and the town boomed. Franklin became a city in 1868, and the wealth produced by the oil industry lead to several great homes and buildings in the city.






The Barrow-Civic Theatre, on Liberty Street. The theater was built in 1946 and was originally the Kayton Theater.







Buildings on Liberty Street. The Bleakley Block, on the left, was built in 1878.







Buildings on Liberty Street. The Masonic Building, built in 1891, is on the right.







Businesses on Liberty Street.








Buildings on Liberty Street. The Exchange Bank & Trust Company, in the center at the intersection with 13th Street, was built in 1925.







Buildings on Liberty Street. The structure on the right was built in 1880.







The Sheasley Block, on 13th Street. The structure was built in 1886.








The Galena-Signal Oil Company Headquarters, on Liberty Street. The office building was built in 1901 and served as the headquarters for the oil company until 1931.







The First United Methodist Church, on Liberty Street. The church was built in 1914.







An old house, now used as offices, on Liberty Street.








An office building on Liberty Street, built in 1910.







The Venango County Courthouse, on Liberty Street at 12th Street. The courthouse was built in 1868 and was designed by the famous Pennsylvania architect Samuel Sloan. This courthouse is a mirror image of one of Sloan's other works, the Clinton County Courthouse in Lock Haven.







The A.G. Egbert Memorial Fountain, in the park at 12th & Liberty Streets. The fountain was dedicated in 1896.








The Soldiers' Monument, in a park southeast of the county courthouse. The memorial was dedicated in 1866 to citizens of Venango County that died in the Civil War.







The Pearce House, on Elk Street. The house was built in 1843 and dates back to Franklin's time as a turnpike stop and canal town.







A house on Elk Street, built in 1874.







The Venango County Jail, on Elk Street. The jail was built in 1910.








A house on Elk Street. The house was built in 1846 and is one of the prime examples of the influence of the Western Reserve housing style that was brought by settlers from New England and can be found in the Connecticut Western Reserve area of Ohio.







A house on Elk Street dating to 1841. This house also shows the influence of the Western Reserve of Ohio.







The old Franklin Club, on Liberty Street. The structure was originally the home of Dr. G.B. Stillman, and was built in 1866.








A house on Buffalo Street.







St. John's Episcopal Church, on Buffalo Street.







The church was built in 1901.







St. John's is known for having a complete set of Tiffany stained glass windows and mosaics.








The windows were installed between 1901 and 1917.







Houses on Chestnut Street.







Houses on Elk Street.








A house on Elk Street, built in 1862.







The Samuel Dale House, on Elk Street. The house was built in 1874.







A house on Elk Street.







The James Smith House, on Elk Street. The house was built in 1872.








A house on Liberty Street.







A house on Liberty Street.







A house on Buffalo Street.








A house on Liberty Street, built in 1901.







A house on Parkway in the Miller Park neighborhood.







The Charles Miller House, on Sibley Avenue. The house was built in 1900. Miller, a partner in the Galena-Signal Oil Company, developed the surrounding Miller Park neighborhood.







The view from Miller Park of Franklin.