2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 96
Commending the City of Franklin.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 5, 2026
WHEREAS, the City of Franklin, a vibrant community that has made great contributions to the Hampton Roads region as a center for agriculture, manufacturing, and trade, celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2026; and
WHEREAS, located at the head of the navigable portion of the Blackwater River in the agricultural plain of southeastern Virginia, Franklin traces its roots to the 1830s when a railroad stop was established in the area; and
WHEREAS, during the Civil War, the growing village was the site of the Battle of Crumpler's Bluff, a small naval engagement on the Blackwater River, which was part of the Joint Expedition Against Franklin in 1862; and
WHEREAS, Franklin was chartered as a town on March 15, 1876, and began to experience substantial growth after the Camp family acquired and expanded a local lumber mill; the town became a stop on the Atlantic and Danville Railway in 1890 and experienced a significant wartime boom during World War I; and
WHEREAS, Franklin continued to thrive in the first half of the 20th century and separated from Southampton County in 1961 when it was incorporated as an independent city; and
WHEREAS, the Camp Corporation played a large role in the Franklin economy for decades, eventually merging with a pulp and paper manufacturer from New York to form the Union Camp Corporation, which was purchased by International Paper Company in 1999; and