Gazetteer of the State of Maine With Numerous Illustrations, by Geo. J. Varney

BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY B. B. RUSSELL, 57 CORNHILL. 1882. Public domain image from

FRANKLIN.

no instance where a Franklin farmer has kept out of speculation, and
made a specialty of grazing through a series of years, who has not be-
come pecuniarly independent.”

!    Both soil and climate are well-adapted to the production of corn

'    and wheat;    and oats on the    intervals not unfrequently yield from 75

(    to 90 bushels to the acre. A    large business is also done in canning

I    sweet corn.    Noble orchards    were early planted in the older towns of

4    the county,    but were mainly    useful for cider and vinegar, or for home

use in cooking. The new orchards are chiefly intended to produce
apples suitable for eating in their natural state, and great quantities are
every year exported to all the cities of the country, and some even to
Europe.

The first sermon preached in Franklin County was about 1783, by
Rev. Mr. Emerson, at the log-house of Stephen Titcomb. A Methodist
meeting-house was erected at Farmington Falls as early as 1800. The
meeting-house at the Centre (now the court-house) was raised in 1803 ;
and in a few years, spires began to rise in many parts of the county.

Franklin has three flourishing agricultural societies, each with an
enclosed park and buildings for the purposes of exhibition. The first
printing-press was set up in Franklin County in 1832, and a paper
called the “ Sandy River Yeoman,” was published one year, then
abandoned. In 1840, the “ Franklin Register ” was started at Farm-
ington, and, after four years, changed to the “ Chronicle,” which has—
though by different publishers—been sustained uninteruptedly ever
since. In 1858 the “Franklin Patriot” was started, continuing
through the war of the Rebellion,—a smart supporter of the opposition
side against the “ Chronicle.” The “ Phillips Phonograph ” was started
in 1878. Franklin County is also notable for its educational privileges,
chief of which are the Western Normal School, for training teachers,
the Wendell Institute, and the “Little Blue ” or Abbott Family School
for hoys.

The act establishing Franklin County was passed in 1838. It now
contains 19 towns and 11 plantations which are organized or have had
an organization. Their names are Avon, Carthage, Chesterville, Eustis,
Farmington, Freeman, Industry, Jay, Kingfield, Madrid, New Sharon,
New Vineyard, Phillips, Rangeley, Salem, Strong, Temple, Weld,
Wilton, and Coplin, Dallas, Greenvale, Letter E, Perkins, Rangeley,
Jerusalem, Lang, No. 6, Sandy River, and Washington plantations.
Farmington is the shire town. The population in 1830 was 15,938.
In 1870 it was 18,807. In 1880 it was 18,177. The estates in 1870
were valued at $5,791,659. In 1880 they were $5,812,866.

Franklin Plantation, in Oxford County, lies 14 miles north
of Paris. Its size is about 5 miles long by 2\ wide. There is a con-
siderable mountain in the southern part, and three in the north-west-
ern. In the extreme north-western angle is Mount Zircon, somewhat
j    noted for the mineral spring situated on    its western slope in Milton

Plantation. A stream in the southern part affords several small water-
'll    powers, upon which are a shingle-mill and    a saw-mill for long and short

- ■    lumber. There are said to be valuable    deposits of gold and silver

about the mountains.

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