Benjamin Franklin Statue

Franklin is a town deeply aware of its history and proudly displays the people and ideals that helped shape its identity. Unlike many New England towns named for English places, Franklin holds the distinction of being the first town in the United States named after one of the nation’s founding fathers: Benjamin Franklin.

Although Benjamin Franklin is closely associated with Philadelphia, he was born in Boston in 1706 and maintained strong ties to Massachusetts throughout his life. When the citizens of this newly incorporated Massachusetts town, they named the town after him. The town wanted a bell and asked Franklin to help with this. But instead of a bell, Franklin chose to donate books. This gift of books became the foundation of what is recognized as America’s first public lending library, a point of pride that Franklin continues to celebrate.

This statue of Benjamin Franklin was added in 1999, created to commemorate this town as the first town in the United States named after him. The seated sculpture, created by Skylight Studios, presents Franklin thoughtfully holding a book. This is a fitting tribute to the man whose donation of books helped establish America’s first public lending library here in town. Visitors to this town can see how deeply Franklin continues to connect its identity to the ideals of education, knowledge and civic responsibility that Benjamin Franklin represented.