FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP , as first organized, was formed from Muddy Creek Township and included Mt. Chestnut and Prospect Borough. The territory now known as Franklin was taken from Franklin and Center Townships, with the exception of a small portion lying south of Muddy Creek stream, which has been added to Franklin and Brady since the re-division of 1854.

The township contains excellent land, and the farms are generally well improved and highly productive. The township was named from the Franklin Road, which passed through it from south to north. The population in 1860 was 860.

            The pioneers of Franklin Township were John McCandless and Aaron Moore, who are said to have located here in 1795. Many of the earlier settlers came from the older portions of the state, some of them being originally from Ireland. Other early families included Dodds, Thompson, Sullivan, and McGowen.

            There was a variety of wildlife in the area at this time. Deer, panthers, bears, wolves, turkeys and wild bees were all abundant. Rattlesnakes were so numerous in fact, that, while the men were mowing upon the farms, they were sometimes known to have killed as many as one hundred snakes a day. There scythes became so full of poison that handling them made the men sick.

            A friendly social feeling prevailed among the settlers. An old resident was to have said that all were like brothers. They worked hard and consumed a great deal of whiskey. But they had their amusements and occasionally some boisterous fun.

            Around 1803, a log building on the Stevenson farm was converted into a schoolhouse of the primitive style of pioneer days. The Mt. Chestnut schoolhouse was located just north of Mt. Chestnut and existed prior to 1874. It was apparently replaced in 1903 when one acre was sold to the township by John J. Cranmer. After its closing in 1963, the school was moved across the road and converted into a barn.

            Franklin Township now has a population of 2,292 according to the 2000 census and is growing everyday.