Our History

Franklinton, located in west central Washington Parish, is the governmental seat of the parish.  Histories of the town of Franklinton and the Parish of Washington are closely related.

In 1820 a legislative act created the parish from the northern section of St. Tammany Parish and the next year another act designated the settlement of Franklin as the seat of parish government. The exact boundary of the parish was not clearly defined until 1826. That same year the town was moved five miles upstream to land donated by John Bickham, Sr. and the name was changed from Franklin to Franklinton to avoid conflict with another community in St. Mary Parish with the same name.

Franklinton was designated a "Ready City" by the Louisiana Department of Commerce and Industry in March, 1987, through efforts of the town officials and the Franklinton Chamber of Commerce. With this designation, the department will be in a position to work closely with a local delegation from the Franklinton Chamber of Commerce and a representative of the Washington Industrial Development Foundation in efforts to expand and strengthen the area economy. The Franklinton Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1934. It has provided strong community leadership since that time.

Franklinton's economy is based mostly upon agriculture and the forest industry. Commercial service activities also contribute greatly to the economy of the area.