Franklin County Overall

Franklin County is the seventy largest county in Virginia by land mass. It is located in the south, central portion of the state. It is frequently described as "nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains". The county is bordered on the north by Roanoke and Bedford Counties, on the east by Pittsylvania County, on the south by Henry and Patrick Counties, and on the west by Floyd County. Franklin County is one of Virginia's fastest growing counties. Despite that it still maintains it's rural character. Inside Franklin County you will find: farms, forests, mountains, lakes, small towns, & many, many other things. The counties proximity to Roanoke, Lynchburg & Martinsville makes for easy access to city amenities without living with the crowds.  In fact the county is known as a sportsman's paradise or outdoorsman's paradise due to the mountains, farmland, rivers, and lakes.

The earliest known european explorer in Franklin County was John Lederer. He is known to have traveled through the area in 1670. Later in the early 1700s Louis Mitchel and Colonel William Byrd traveled to Franklin County.

Settlers first began living in Franklin County in about 1750. These first settlers were of predominantly German, French, Scotch-Irish, and English stock. Those early settlers came primarily via three routes into the county: 1 - The Wilderness Road; 2- The Caroline Road; and 3 - The Trail from Tidewater.

In 1779 two petitions were made for a new county. One was by the people of Henry County and the other by the people of Bedford County.  In both of these petitions the same grievances were voiced. That the residents of the counties had to travel fifty miles or more over rough and dangerous terrain to reach their county courthouse. In November of 1785 the Virginia General Assembly voted to approve the new county and designating that the county be named after Benjamin Franklin.  The county seat was designated as Rocky Mount which at that time was an established but unincorporated village.

Despite the county being rural and sparsely populated it played an important role in the major historical events.  During the Revolutionary War Colonel john Donelson operated his iorn works on Furnace Creek and provided munitions for our fledgling new nation.  The old iorn works furnace still stands today & is the oldest landmark within the county.

During the War of Northern Aggression (the American Civil War)  Franklin County responded to the call of service by producing not only couragous soldiers but also strong leaders. The most famous of which was Lietenant General Jubal A. Early. General Early was a graduate of West Point and had fought in the Seminole War and Mexican War had been strongly opposed to the secession of Virginia from the United States but felt it was his duty to defend his state once the war had begun. Following the initial battle of BullRun Early was promoted to Brigadier General and later Major General.  He served as a Major General in the Virginia Campaigns of 1862 and 1863. By 1864 Early had been promoted to Lietenant General and commanded Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley. General Early is remembered as a Confederate General whose performance was second only to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. After the war Jubal Early returned to Rocky Mount and practiced law. The tavern that Early frequented and boasted that President Andrew Jackson once lodged there was renamed "The Early House" in General Early's honor. The Early house

The county is called "The Land Between the Lakes" due to Smith Mountain Lake being on the North-Eastern border of the county and Philpot Lake being on the South-Western border.

 Smith Mountain Lake is Virginia's largest inland lake. With five hundred miles of shoreline. It is a reservoir which provides hydroelectirc power which is generated at Smith Mountain Dam located on the Smith Mountain Gorge.  The dam is on the Roanoke River just downstream from where the Blackwater River flows into the Roanoke River. Both Rivers form the lake.

Smith Mountain Lake is a developed lake. There are many houses & businesses in areas of the lake. Though there are also many sections of the lake that remain undeveloped.  During the 1960's & 1970's the lake remained largely undeveloped, but in the 1980's development began and has continued at a rapid pace.