The Franklin Sidewalk - so the kids could get to school

Franklin and Arma Kansas, are small communities located on Rt 69, the old Jefferson Highway, now bypassed by the Highway 69 bypass, a major corridor between Kansas City and Pittsburg, KS/Joplin, MO.

Established in the early 1900s as a mining community Franklin became a shipping point on the Joplin & Pittsburg electric railroad.  Less than 2 miles down the road is Arma.  Situated in the center of a rich bituminous coal deposit, it started as a small coal camp in 1886   The population of the towns grew as the mining industry encouraged immigrants to settle in the area and find work in the mines.

 

In the early 1920s, the decline in the mining industry forced businesses to close and schools to consolidate.  The schools of Arma and Franklin were combined after Franklin High School graduated its last class in 1928.  Children then walked the 2 miles to school in Arma leading to several accidents and deaths as the children walked along the edge of the road. As businesses closed in Franklin, residents took their business to Arma, walking along the roadway to reach the stores.

                                          The old Jefferson Highway (Rt 69) and the Sidewalk

Constructed in 1936 with federal assistance funds, the Franklin Sidewalk connects the 2 rural mining communities. The three-foot wide sidewalk begins at the south edge of Arma and stretches south 1.7 miles to the south edge of Franklin, and runs parallel along the east side of Business Highway 69.