The "Almost" State
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I wrote this about a year and a half ago and just found it again...

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Here's something you may not have known about Ben Franklin; he once had a state named after him.

After the American Revolution, many states extended their borders westward. The problem with that was there was little money to handle all of that additional land. So, back in 1784, Representatives of some North Carolina counties accepted an offer of cessation to federal territory.

"At the close of the American Revolution, many states had run up significant debts, with no clear way to pay them. In 1784, North Carolina opted to cede the nearly 30 million acres of its territory west of the Appalachians to the federal government, as repayment of debts."

Afterward, North Carolina got a little testy about the whole deal and quickly repealed the cessation a few months later. Some people don't know how to take no for an answer though and shortly after, some leaders got together on August 23, 1784 and declared their independence from North Carolina anyway.

The result: The almost state of Frankland; which later turned into Franklin.

Ironically, Ben Franklin himself didn't seem too impressed by this gesture. The Franklinites only existed from 1784 to 1789. Today, you would know that land as upper east Tennessee.

Unfortunately, there are few official government records of the state of Franklin left. The gist of what happened is as follows:

John Sevier, a Hero of the Battle of Kinds Mountain during the Revolutionary War, was appointed governor. With the matter of governor settled, legislature made, militia formed and a brand new Constitution in hand - the state was organized enough to petition for official statehood.

North Carolina was less than pleased and openly opposed to the land they gave away from becoming the 14th state, when it applied in 1785. Nine affirmative votes were needed to ring in the 14th state. However, the state of Franklin received only 7 votes [Connecticut, Georgia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York]. It's presumed that the other states voted "No" due to North Carolina's anger over its existence.

Not ones to give up, the formerly almost state of Frankland decided to regroup and change the name to go on and become the almost state of Franklin, after Ben Franklin, in the hopes that being associated with Ben's name would further their cause in trying to become a state. Ben declined to get involved.

When solicited by John Sevier for help, Franklin wrote him back saying:

"I am sensible of the honor which your Excellency and your council do me. but being in Europe when your State was formed I am too little acquainted with the circumstances to be able to offer you anything just now that may be of importance, since everything material that regards your welfare will doubtless have occurred to yourselves. I will endeavor to inform myself more perfectly of your affairs by inquiry and searching the records of Congress and if anything should occur to me that I think may be useful to you, you shall hear from me thereupon."
-Franklin's letter to Governor John Sevier, 1787

That seems like Ben's polite way of saying, "I don't see how this is my problem..."

The State of Franklin started out with three counties originally. By the end of 1786, they had eight. The additional counties were formed because the population was growing so quickly. Within one year, it was estimated approximately 10,000 families migrated from North Carolina and Virginia to the state of Franklin. One of the fastest growing communities, started in 1786, accumulated over 2,000 people by the end of its first year. You would know that community today as, Knoxville.

Franklin never got to establish a currency system featuring paper and coins. They did, however, deal in skins. The governor of the state got a hefty salary of 1,000 deer skins for his time and efforts. The governor's secretary received 500 raccoon skins as their wage and the treasurer got a whooping 450 otter skins. You were out of luck if you were a preacher of the gospel or an attorney though, they were barred from public office according to the Franklin constitution.

The United State's Government finally stepped in and by way of The Treaty of Hopewell, refused to recognize the expanding territory of Franklin via their assaults on the nearby Cherokee towns. The Cherokee were none too thrilled with Franklin either. Franklinites ignored these warnings from the government and continued to push their luck and test their boundaries.

The failing of this would-be-state came about in 1788. North Carolina had had enough of Franklin and their ways. So much so, that in February of 1788, a brief siege occurred and John Sevier was arrested. That siege is now known as the Battle of Franklin.

In February of 1789, Sevier and the other Franklin leaders took an oath of allegiance to North Carolina. North Carolina, not holding a grudge, restored John Sevier's title of General in their militia. He later went on to become the first Governor of Tennessee in 1796. North Carolina also had the good graces to honor all property transactions, marriages and court decisions that took place under Franklin rule.

In 1897, the log cabin that served as the capitol building was dismantled and reassembled in Nashville as part of a Centennial celebration in Tennessee. Somewhere along the lines though, the logs never made their way back to Greeneville, so even that is gone now. Still, it's cool to have a state named after you, even if it did get lost in History.