History & Heritage

We invite you to "Escape to Tradition" in the City of Franklin and Southampton County but many don't know or understand the historic and modern view of our local farmers. In celebration for National Agriculture Day we are announcing a new blog series "Cultivating the Crop: A Series about the Process and History of Farming in Franklin and Southampton". This series will provide readers with an inside look into the entire farming process from the view of one of our own, local farmers. We hope you will enjoy learning more about Franklin and Southampton's farming history as well as the future for our local farmers. If you have specific questions in regards to farming, the process, or a specific season please send them to info@franklinsouthamptonva.com for us to pass along to our farmer to answer at a later date.

You can boil 'em, roast 'em, smoke 'em, bake 'em. There's chocolate covered peanuts, raw peanuts, honey roasted peanuts, cajun peanuts, salted-in-the-shell peanuts, butter toffee peanuts, salt and pepper peanuts, redskin peanuts, sugar coated peanuts, wasabi peanuts, peanut butter and peanut brittle. It's safe to say all of us in Franklin and Southampton are NUTS about peanuts!

Once a railroad and steamboat hub of commerce, the City of Franklin is a laid-back cousin to the larger cities just miles away. The welcoming Visitor Center, in the old railroad depot, is in the heart of the historic area. You'll find a variety of shops and restaurants as well as beautifully restored vintage homes, including a plush period B&B, and parks perfect for an impromptu picnic. In Southampton County a sprawling landscape boasts small towns waiting to be explored and more Century Farms than any other Virginia county. Numerous boat landings welcome casual boaters and fishermen. Hunters find abundant game and local outfitters who offer guides and comfortable lodges.