1911 Map of Franklin

About this map

The Allegheny River and French Creek converge at Franklin, forming a geographic anchor for Venango County in the early twentieth century. This survey details a landscape where industry and institutional life followed the water, with the Pennsylvania RR and Erie RR lines tracing the riverbanks to serve riverside towns like Reno and Coal City. The map reveals the extensive grounds of the State Institute for Feeble Minded near Polk, alongside numerous rural community centers such as Bethel Church and the Oak Forest School. Local elevation and naming conventions are preserved through landmarks like Bully Hill and Gurney Hill, while the County Farm near Sugarcreek illustrates the social infrastructure of the era. This period shows the transition from earlier turnpike travel to a dense network of steam and electric rail, including the Electric RR branch near Prentice.