Franklin County, North Carolina: History
The county was formed in 1779 from the southern half of Bute County. It is named for Benjamin Franklin. It is a part of the Research Triangle.
1664 – Albemarle County formed (original, extinct)
1668 – Albemarle County subdivided into Carteret, Berkeley, & Shaftesbury Precincts
1681 – Shaftesbury Precinct renamed Chowan Precinct
1722 – Bertie Precinct formed from Chowan Precinct
1739 – Bertie Precinct becomes Bertie County
1741 – Edgecombe County formed from Bertie County
1746 – Granville County formed from Edgecombe County
1754 – Creation of Bertie Precinct, Edgecombe County, & Granville County repealed by King George II, in Privy Council
1756 – Bertie, Edgecombe, & Granville re-created
1764 – Bute County (extinct) formed from Granville County
1779 – Franklin County formed from Bute County (extinct)
1787 – Franklin County gains land from Wake County
1875 – Franklin County gains land from Granville County
1881 – Franklin County loses land to help form Vance County
The integration of Franklin County Schools in 1965–1968 was marked by a federal lawsuit and some violence against African-American residents. The North Carolina Humanities Council funded the Tar River Center for History and Culture at Louisburg College to prepare "An Oral History of School Desegregation in Franklin County, North Carolina."