Franklin City, Virginia facts for kids
Franklin City is a small, unincorporated community located in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. An unincorporated community is a place that doesn't have its own local government, but it's still a recognized area where people live.
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How Franklin City Began: The Railroad Story
Franklin City and its neighbor, Greenbackville, started to grow in the late 1800s. This growth happened because of a new railroad line. This railway was built to carry oysters and other shellfish from Chincoteague to big cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.
Railroad Expansion
By the 1870s, a railway called the Frankfort and Worcester Railroad had reached Snow Hill, Maryland. In 1876, a Maryland judge named John R. Franklin helped extend this railroad line. He owned land just south of the state line in Virginia, and the railway was built to his property. This is how Franklin City likely got its name!
Later, another big railroad company, the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad, built tracks all the way down the Delmarva Peninsula. These tracks reached Cape Charles in 1884 and connected with the Frankfort & Worcester line. This made it even easier to transport goods and people.
Challenges and Changes
Over time, Franklin City faced some tough challenges. After the Chincoteague Causeway was built, things started to change. Then, two major events caused problems for the community.
Economic Decline
First, the period known as the Depression (a time in the 1930s when many people lost their jobs and money) hurt the area's economy. Then, a very powerful storm, the nor'easter of 1962, caused a lot of damage. These events made it very hard for Franklin City and Greenbackville to keep their main ways of making money.
Today, not much is left of the original Franklin City. It remains a quiet, unincorporated community.
