(Franklin, Virginia)

The conjunction of the Portsmouth &Roanoke Railroad and the Blackwater Riverin 1835 made this site, then a swampywilderness, a natural link between the towns of the Chowan and Albemarle Soundand points to the northeast. The railroad,later known as the Seaboard & Roanoke andthe Seaboard Line, transported people andgoods between Norfolk and BlackwaterDepot, then on the east bank of the River.Beginning in 1836, steamboats, includingthe Bravo, the Fox, the Stag, and the Curlew,carried them between Blackwater Depotand Edenton on the Blackwater andChowan rivers.This commerce encouragedthe growth of a village, known by 1838 asFranklin Depot, on the Southampton side ofthe Blackwater. By the early 1860s Franklinhad a depot, a warehouse, a steamboatlanding, steamboat lines, a sawmill, ageneral store, churches and a popular hotel owned by Richard and MaryRebecca Murfee Barrett.

"On approaching ... [the Blackwater]station ... one looks in vain for thepromised steamboat that is to conveyhim to Edenton. ... Anon, a blowingand fizzing draws his attention to... awhite column of steam rising from the midst of the forest, and [he] follows anarrow path... [to] a very promisingsteamboat. Then, looking over herstern, he sees the Blackwater River, anarrow, black ditch, embarked withtangled bushes and cypress knees, andover-arched completely with treesclothed in vines and hanging moss. Thestream being barely wide enough tofloat the boat, she is obliged to crab herway ... [backwards] for a considerabledistance, her ... sides butting the cypressknees, and her wheel-houses raked bythe overhanging boughs."
David H. Strother ("Porte Crayon"), 1856

(Included Time Line: 1835 - 1861)
1835 - The Portsmouth & Roanoke Railroad Crosses the Blackwater
1836 - Steamboats begin making regular trips on the Blackwater
1847 - Richard & Mary Murfee Barrett complete their home and open it to boarders.
1848 - William Murfee builds "River Lawn," the first large house in the village.
1850 - The Clyde Line, a steamboat company, is established.
1856 - John Frisbee Starts a sawmill across the river.
1857 - The Portsmouth & Roanoke Railroad moves the depot to Franklin. The Barretts open a larger hotel.
1858 - The Masonic Lodge - often referred to as "the Academy" and used as community hall, school, and church - is built
1860 - The Albemarle Steam Packet Company is chartered.
1861 - Virginia secedes from the Union as the War Between the States begins.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Franklin, VA  |  23851  |  Virginia  |  United States of America

"Can't Is Not in the Camp's Vocabulary"
War Comes to the Blackwater
The Barretts: A Franklin Pioneer Family
Recovery and Progress
The Age of Gasoline
Confederate Commissary Center
The Blackwater Line
Battle of Franklin
Franklin
Camp Manufacturing Company

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.