In the spring of 1898, war was declared with Spain and a number of Franklin men served under Lieutenant Theodore Roosevelt. The war was short and the number who served from Robertson County were few; however, it was a sobering experience to the new generation.

In the twentieth century, Franklin continued as an important town. The old brass band that provided music in the 1890's kept spirits high. The mail wagon driven by Bob Jackson continued on its rounds. People came to town in wagons drawn by mules, and heavy loads of cotton were pulled through the streets for all to see. The saloons operated by S. P. Hurley and Mr. Gode were popular places.

A rather interesting essay written about Franklin by a teacher whose parents were early settlers in the area is descriptive:

It is a steeply little town, Franklin, county seat of Robertson (Booger County), Texas. It was little in the beginning but not sleepy. It was wideawake then, a court house in the center and all.

In the beginning it was a colorful town; so colorful, indeed, that, in modem parlance, the main street was off limits to ladies on Saturday. That was before local option; in the days of five cent cotton; in the days when a man had only enough money in his pocket to get half drunk.

In those days, men ate in the saloon across from the courthouse, and drank whiskey and cussed; chewed Brown Mule tobacco, and spit; argued and fought, and sometimes killed. The trouble in a killing might have been over a boundary line, or a hog, but most often it started over politics.

Those were the post pioneer days when the nation was flexing its muscles. They were the post war years when society was fluid, on the go, ever changing. They were the days when the Studebaker Wagon, the crosscut saw, the Georgia Sweep, the middle buster, and the team of mules were here. They were the days of the nation's adolescence.

The Carnegie Library was built in Franklin in 1913 and Mrs. Emma Decherd became the librarian. There, in the basement of the building the band played and chautauquas were held. Emil Hohertz operated an ice cream parlor in the town. Tent shows came to the county seat and medicine shows sold "snake oil" as a cureall. Mollie Bailey was the main attraction for a number of years. The first picture show in the town was an open air theater operated by Henry Lumpkin.

Franklin has through the years been a central meeting place for veterans of wars. In 1883, descendants of the heroes of San Jacinto met in the Franklin courthouse and three widows of participants were present. For thirty years after 1882, Civil War veterans assembled on the streets of the town for parades and public meetings. Veterans of the Spanish American War met in the county seat until 1930.

In reference to the Civil War, the following article appeared in the Franklin newspaper in 1919.

Year after year we watched the Rebels march with pride through our town. They were heroes of battles and wore their colors of distinction. In earlier years they were bold, outspoken, energetic men ... then as the years took the spring from their strides and so many were laid to rest, their meetings were fewer and their ranks became thin.