Benjamin Franklin Statue in Franklin, Tennessee: The Story Behind “Ben on the Bench” and America250

For generations, Franklin, Tennessee has proudly told the story of its past. But one chapter, arguably the very beginning, has often gone untold.

Franklin is named after Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most influential Founding Fathers. And now, more than 225 years after the town’s founding, Franklin is finally welcoming its namesake home.

In January 2026, as the nation begins commemorating America250, Franklin will unveil its first-ever Benjamin Franklin statue, Ben on the Bench, honoring not only the man whose name we bear, but also our city’s deep Revolutionary-era roots. In Franklin’s Ben on the Bench, the sculpture depicts Benjamin Franklin holding the Preamble to the Constitution—the very document he helped write, shaping our nation for 250 years through enduring ideals of liberty, unity, and self-governance.

Few individuals shaped the course of American history as profoundly as Ben Franklin. America would not be the country it is today without his influence.

A City Named Franklin—and Finally a Statue

There are 32 cities and towns in America named Franklin, making it the third most common U.S. city name after Washington and Springfield. Franklin, Tennessee is the second-oldest established municipality named for Benjamin Franklin, and the most populous Franklin city in America!

Yet while cities like Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Detroit, and even Paris, France, feature statues honoring Benjamin Franklin, Franklin, Tennessee did not.

Until now.

Why Benjamin Franklin Matters to Franklin

Franklin was founded on October 26, 1799 by Abram Maury, a Virginia native, surveyor, planter, and future Tennessee state senator. Maury purchased 640 acres from Revolutionary War Major Anthony Sharp, land originally part of a larger military grant awarded for service in the American Revolution.

Maury initially planned to name the town Marthasville after his wife, Martha. But according to local tradition, and Martha’s own modesty, she convinced him otherwise. Instead, Maury chose to name the town after Benjamin Franklin, a man admired across the young nation for his intellect, diplomacy, and leadership.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1706, Benjamin Franklin is the only statesman who signed all four documents: the Declaration of Independence (1776), Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), Treaty of Paris (1783), and the U.S. Constitution (1787). In addition, he was the first American diplomat to France. Ben Franklin started his career as a printer and newspaper publisher. His most popular publication was Poor Richard’s Almanack. Ben was a scientist, inventor, politician, philanthropist, founder of the first library and the University of Pennsylvania and the first Postmaster General.

Among his best-known innovations are the lightning rod, which protected buildings from fire; bifocal glasses, designed so he could read and see at a distance without changing lenses; the Franklin stove, which made homes warmer while using less fuel; and the glass armonica, a musical instrument admired by composers across Europe. Ben rarely patented his ideas, believing inventions should be shared freely for the common good, an outlook that perfectly embodies the spirit of American ingenuity and his humility.

The city of Franklin’s original plan by Maury was sixteen square blocks centered around a two-acre public square, which remains the heart of downtown today. Maury donated land for streets, the public square, and a church, filing the official plat in 1800. Franklin was established the same day as Williamson County and selected as its county seat.

Abram and Martha Maury are buried today at Founders Pointe, forever tied to the town they envisioned. Our backstory on Abram Maury by Katie Shands here.

More Than a Civil War Town

Many people associate Franklin almost exclusively with the Battle of Franklin in 1864. While that chapter is significant, it came 65 years after Franklin’s founding.

Franklin and Williamson County were born of the Revolutionary era. Williamson County is named for Dr. Hugh Williamson, a physician, scholar, and signer of the U.S. Constitution from North Carolina, and a close friend of Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin (for Pennsylvania) and Williamson (for North Carolina) both signed the Constitution almost directly across from one another. Their friendship connects our community directly to the nation’s founding moment.

Today, Williamson County is the final resting place for as many as 200 Revolutionary War Patriots, though only about 51 are marked with headstones. This land, shaped by military grants and frontier settlement, was part of North Carolina’s “Military District,” created to compensate soldiers for their service in the Revolution.

Franklin’s roots are not just historic, they are foundational.

The Dream That Sparked It All

The idea for a Benjamin Franklin statue began with a simple conversation in September 2024 during a Franklin Walking Tour.

During the tour, Lovely Franklin founder Buffie Baril was talking with Lisa Kenney, then Regent of the Old Glory Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), when the topic arose: Why doesn’t Franklin have a statue of Benjamin Franklin?

So many locals, Buffie shared, didn’t even realize the town was named after him, and this could be a way to tell both the story of the city of Franklin and the history of America.

Lisa replied, “That would be so amazing to get it up by July 4, 2026.”

America250, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was already on the horizon.

Soon after, Cheryl Maler, current Regent of the Old Glory Chapter, joined the conversation and offered her support. What began as a dream quickly became a mission.

In March 2025, Lovely Franklin asked its followers a simple question: Would you support a Benjamin Franklin statue for Franklin? The answer was a resounding yes.

Finding the Right Home—and the Right Partners

A presentation was put together by the committee who initially considered the Five Points Post Office, an ideal symbolic location given Franklin’s role as America’s first Postmaster General. Julie Brown, Co-Owner of the Five Points Post Office, immediately offered her support.

Both Ken Moore, Mayor of Franklin, and Rogers Anderson supported the idea. Mayor Anderson then proposed an extraordinary alternative: placing the statue at the Williamson County Archives and Museum. Ann Peterson, Franklin Alderman at Large and Old Glory Chapter NSDAR member, was also an early supporter of the project.

Archives Director Bradley Bosher embraced the vision. The location, near Five Points, overlooking downtown, and adjacent to the Post Office, was perfect. This site has long served the community as a place of public education, first as Franklin Elementary School, later as the county library, and today as the Williamson County Archives and Museum.

Now came the biggest challenge: funding and finding the right sculptor.

An Angel Donor and a Providential Yes

In May 2025, the project received an unexpected and extraordinary gift.

Pamela Lewis, founder of PLA Media, former Franklin alderman, and longtime steward of the historic Harrison House, stepped forward and offered to fully fund the statue project because she too wanted this for the city.

She asked that the process be streamlined and that the sculptor already have casted a Benjamin Franklin statue, and that Ben be seated on a bench so children and adults could sit with him.

Buffie researched and found George Lundeen, creator of the magnificent bronze sculpture “Ben on the Bench” located at the University of Pennsylvania, the very institution Benjamin Franklin helped establish. In this sculpture, Ben is shown reading a copy of the The Pennsylvania Gazette, the newspaper he purchased, printed, and famously contributed essays and commentary under a variety of clever aliases, using the press as a powerful tool to educate, persuade, and connect with the public as a champion of free expression.

In what felt like divine timing, Lundeen confirmed he could have his Ben on the Bench for Franklin, Tennessee ready in time for 2026.

The committee knew: this was meant to be.

The Unveiling: January 17, 2026

To launch the America250 celebration year and honor Benjamin Franklin’s 320th birthday, the Old Glory Chapter, NSDAR, invites the public to the unveiling of Ben on the Bench on:

Saturday, January 17, 2026
10:00 a.m.
Williamson County Archives and Museum
611 West Main Street, Franklin, TN

The ceremony will feature fife and drum, a Color Guard musket salute by the Lt. Andrew Crockett Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, living history exhibits, and a military cake-cutting ceremony.

Howard Chandler Christy’s Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States is displayed along the east stairway in the House of Representatives wing in the Capitol building.

The day will also include the dedication of an NSDAR Historical Marker and the unveiling of a custom Gallery Wall exhibit featuring Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Hugh Williamson, the Charters of Freedom, and the iconic painting of the signing of the Constitution, where Franklin and Williamson stand together once again. We are grateful for the dedicated work of Liz King for helping design the gallery wall, invitation, and program.

A Benjamin Franklin historical interpreter will mingle with guests, and children are encouraged to “Dress Like Ben or Betsy Ross!” and explore the SAR Patriot Box filled with hands-on Revolutionary artifacts.

More Than a Statue

Placed overlooking Five Points, Ben on the Bench does more than honor a name.

It connects:

• Franklin Elementary School, once located on this property, and Ben supported education
• America’s first lending library, founded by Ben Franklin
• Volunteer fire service, which Franklin pioneered, and was in the building of Franklin Road Apparel
• Five Points Post Office across the street, and Franklin was the first Postmaster General
• The Episcopal tradition seen at St. Paul’s, and shared by Benjamin and Deborah Franklin
• Franklin’s Main Street, located on US Highway 31, the main artery from the 1700’s to Nashville bears Franklin’s name

This statue reframes Franklin not just as a Civil War town, but as a Revolutionary-era community rooted in independence, learning, and civic duty.

A Community Effort, A Lasting Legacy

This project was made possible through the visionary collaboration of:

• Cheryl Maler, Regent, Old Glory Chapter NSDAR
  
• Lisa Kenney, Historian & Honorary Regent, Old Glory Chapter NSDAR
  
• Buffie Baril, Founder, Lovely Franklin
  
• Julie Brown, Co-Owner, Five Points Post Office

And through the generosity of Pamela Lewis, whose gift ensures Franklin finally honors its namesake.

After 226 years, Ben is coming to Franklin.

And this time, he’s here to stay.

More info on Tennessee America 250

About Old Glory, DAR

About Lovely Franklin