Month: April 2015

It was 1940 and a man named James Buckley was watching a culvert being built on Rawson Avenue when he noticed a lot of rocks close to the surface of the land. He then decided to buy several hundred acres of land in the area in speculation of finding a…

It was the only wooden silo on a Franklin farm and for years it was recognized as a landmark because of its unusual construction. It was stamped with the dates 1903 and 1914 and made of wood that went horizontally around the outside while the wood on the inside was…

THE EARLY BUSINESSES OF ST. MARTINS A windmill, a brewery, a general store, and a farm implement dealer—these were some of the early businesses of Franklin. Located in St. Martins, they provided products and services for the rural population of the area. Even though all four of these no longer…

When presenting the history of the Franklin area, the final resting places of its earliest settlers are sometimes overlooked. Often people pass by these cemeteries and are unaware of their existence or that these grave markers tell a story about the immigrant families that chose to settle in Franklin. What…

The Sacred Heart School of Theology, located on Hwy. 100 near Rawson Avenue, was originally known as the Sacred Heart Monastery and as a seminary for the training of men into the priesthood. It was originally built across the street from the present buildings. The original building was built in…

PHOTO:  This is an old photo of the ice house that stood in St. Martins until 2008.  It was used as an ice house from 1850-1935. If this was the early 20th century it would be that time of the year when ice harvesting on the lakes, ponds and rivers would…