The State of Franklin?

Around the year 1785, North Carolina owned part of the territory west of the Appalachians.  This land was passed around a few times before finally becoming the state we know today as Tennessee.

One of the names that was considered?  Franklin, after Ben Franklin.

The founders of Franklin petitioned Congress for the right to become the 14th state in the newly formed United States.  As you know, since we have no state by that name, they were denied.

I know very little about the very early years of our country.  That's sad.  The happy part is, through this road trippin' lifestyle, I am learning more and more right alongside my family :).

When we were in Greeneville, TN, to visit the Andrew Johnson NHS, we just happened upon the old log cabin that was used as the capitol building for Franklin.  I got really excited...until I read the sign and saw that it was a replica of what they thought the cabin would have looked like.  Oh well, it was still very interesting and it sparked a good learning opportunity for our family :).