Small Town Americana: Franklin, Louisiana
One of the best things about visiting and documenting small towns in America, is finding places you had never heard of before. This is so true in rural Louisiana. It seams the whole world knows about New Orleans. LSU football has put Baton Rouge on the map and long ago Cajun music introduced people to Lafayette. But in the low lands of southern Louisiana along highway 90, the old Gulf Coast Highway, we found a town way past it’s prime, but holding on to it’s history.
In Franklin, Louisiana — named after Ben Franklin — we found a place that is so old, it was booming way before they had roads. In Franklin, water was the highway and on the Bayou Teche, the old riverboats moved the big cargo of the day — sugar. This was once a very rich town and you can see it in old mansions built along the Teche.
Large plantations and farms grew the sugar, and the riverboats pulled up right along the shore to load the cargo. You can still see and tour some of the old plantation homes. Of course the towns like Franklin also share a tragic history — slaves did the work on these farms. Franklin is not the rich community it once was and as such is off the radar of many Louisiana tourists. But civic leaders and small businesses think the history and the natural beauty of the region can bring a sort of rebirth to Franklin.
The town has brought back the old street lights you would have seen a hundred years ago — and matched with ancient oaks, and classic old homes, it’s a wonderful place to experience. Of late, the town has commissioned the Downtown Franklin Pocket Mural Project. “Life on the Bayou Teche” was painted by artist Robert Dafford, who is famed for painting the history of river towns along giant cement flood walls. This time, his pallet was an old brick and cement wall from a theater demolished — making way for a unique park right off Main Street.
Some of the most dramatic aspects of this small town, are the old historic plantation homes — many fronting right onto the Bayou. But saving the old homes is not easy. Preservation is costly and the work really never ends.
One of the most dramatic homes was built by the founder of Franklin, Joseph Carllin, in 1830. It still stands and is being restored by new owners Dr. Courtney DiMeglio and her husband Dr. Paul DiMeglio. Now called the Arlington Mansion, it is being rented out for weddings, reunions, and even overnight stays. All the money earned is pumped back into the efforts to preserve the building and provide jobs for the community. It’s one more example of this special small town preserving it’s historic past.
Small Town Americana: Franklin, Louisiana
One of the best things about visiting and documenting small towns in America, is finding places you had never heard of before. This is so true in rural Louisiana. It seams the whole world knows about New Orleans. LSU football has put Baton Rouge on the map and long ago Cajun music introduced people to Lafayette. But in the low lands of southern Louisiana along highway 90, the old Gulf Coast Highway, we found a town way past it’s prime, but holding on to it’s history.
In Franklin, Louisiana — named after Ben Franklin — we found a place that is so old, it was booming way before they had roads. In Franklin, water was the highway and on the Bayou Teche, the old riverboats moved the big cargo of the day — sugar. This was once a very rich town and you can see it in old mansions built along the Teche.
Large plantations and farms grew the sugar, and the riverboats pulled up right along the shore to load the cargo. You can still see and tour some of the old plantation homes. Of course the towns like Franklin also share a tragic history — slaves did the work on these farms. Franklin is not the rich community it once was and as such is off the radar of many Louisiana tourists. But civic leaders and small businesses think the history and the natural beauty of the region can bring a sort of rebirth to Franklin.
The town has brought back the old street lights you would have seen a hundred years ago — and matched with ancient oaks, and classic old homes, it’s a wonderful place to experience. Of late, the town has commissioned the Downtown Franklin Pocket Mural Project. “Life on the Bayou Teche” was painted by artist Robert Dafford, who is famed for painting the history of river towns along giant cement flood walls. This time, his pallet was an old brick and cement wall from a theater demolished — making way for a unique park right off Main Street.
Some of the most dramatic aspects of this small town, are the old historic plantation homes — many fronting right onto the Bayou. But saving the old homes is not easy. Preservation is costly and the work really never ends.
One of the most dramatic homes was built by the founder of Franklin, Joseph Carllin, in 1830. It still stands and is being restored by new owners Dr. Courtney DiMeglio and her husband Dr. Paul DiMeglio. Now called the Arlington Mansion, it is being rented out for weddings, reunions, and even overnight stays. All the money earned is pumped back into the efforts to preserve the building and provide jobs for the community. It’s one more example of this special small town preserving it’s historic past.
1 Comment
Leave a Reply
Subscribe to Watch it All
Subscribe to Saving Americana and get access to all of our Big Stories and other Episodes too!
In “Small Town Americana”, we visit off-the-interstate places that seem unchanged.
Showing 1-3 of 31 results
My husband’s grandmother was from Franklin. Her last name was Richard. We took her to visit when she was 90. She showed us around and even took us to her family’s sugar farm. It is a charming town.