Introduction
Franklin is a town that proudly intertwines its natural, historic, and cultural treasures to create a tapestry of unparalleled charm. Steeped in a rich historical background, many of Franklin’s significant buildings and areas have stood the test of time, narrating tales of the past. Franklin offers a rich diversity of landscapes including urban, suburban, small town and rural/agricultural areas. The Town has hills, farmlands, pastures, scenic roadways lined with large trees, stone walls, lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, and swamps - all the unique features for a picturesque landscape that serves a variety of lifestyles and creates a pleasant environment for residents to live and work. As stewards of this New England gem, the community is committed to smart growth, protecting its natural resources, maintaining its historic appeal, and identifying and safeguarding lands and historic characteristics that make Franklin a treasured place to live, work, and play.
Existing Conditions and Trends
GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND SOILS
Franklin is characterized by low, rounded hills and open valleys formed by repeated advances of glacial ice. Elevations in the town range from 470 feet above sea level in the southern portion of the town, to less than 150 feet near Populatic Pond in the north. Some portions of northern Franklin also reach elevations over 400 feet above sea level.63 With a majority of the town sitting at 250-350 feet above sea level, Franklin is one of the highest elevated towns in Norfolk County.
Franklin’s bedrock is mainly composed of two types of granite: Dedham and Quincy granite. Dedham Granite runs through the lower half of Franklin, while Quincy Granite runs through the northern half. The Town has a small band of diorite (a dark, granite-textured rock) and diabase (dark, fine igneous rock, often used for crushed stone) dikes and sills along its eastern border with Norfolk and a strip of Wamsutta Formation (red to pink conglomerates of sandstone shale and rholite) along its southern border with Wrentham. The Bellingham-Franklin line is straddled with a strip of the Blackstone Group (quartzite, schist, phyllite, marble and metavolcanic rocks) on its northern half and a strip of Mattapan Volcanic Complex to the south of the Blackstone Group.
As the glacier retreated to the north, glacial till (unsorted glacial sediment) was deposited on hills, while meltwaters covered lower elevations with stratified glacial deposits of sand and gravel. In Map 7.1, tills appear as green, outwash areas of sand and gravel deposits are indicated by orange, bedrock outcrops are denoted by red, and brown indicates areas of artificial fill. Alluvium (mainly organic matter, fine sand, and silt) which underlies the flood plains of most streams and rivers, is represented by yellow areas.67 There are large swamp deposits in the western half of the town, as well as in some wetland pockets in other parts of Franklin. Comparing the surficial geology to flood hazard areas (shown in Map 7.2), clearly shows how the soils left behind by the glaciers are impacting the water flow at the surface today. Areas that would experience flooding during a 100-year flood overlap areas of floodplain alluvium and swamp deposits that are poorly draining and hold significant amounts of water and peat.
Franklin’s surficial geology consists primarily of deep, moderate to excessively drained fine, sandy loams. Knowledge of the soil types located within Franklin is a valuable tool for land use planning. Soil conditions can inform appropriate locations for farming, development and construction uses, flood management and other uses.
AGRICULTURAL LAND
Due to the high quality of its soil, Franklin has a rich agricultural history. Of Franklin’s 17,296 acres, 5,375 acres are classified as prime farmland or farmland of statewide significance.
According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), prime farmland “has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for economically producing sustained high yields of food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops, when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods”.70 Farmland of statewide significance “is of statewide importance for the production of food, feed, fiber, forage, and oil seed crops, as determined by the appropriate state agency or agencies. Generally, these include lands that are nearly prime farmland and that economically produce high yields of crops when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods.”
While there were over 200 farms across Franklin in the late 1800s, that number has decreased dramatically today. As of 2023, the town reported only 14 operating farms (see Table 7.1 below).
Recently, the Town Council established the Franklin Agricultural Commission to promote the long-term economic and environmental viability of Franklin agriculture, provide agricultural resources, and preserve farmland in the town.
The Franklin Farmers’ Market is held on the Franklin Town Common on Fridays from June through October and a Winter Farmers’ Market is held at Fairmount Fruit Farm on selected Saturdays from November through April.
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