Franklin County, Pa., Election of 1860

This map of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, shows the presidential vote of 1860 by precinct. Precinct boundaries were established using Thiessen polygons using known precincts as central places. Lincoln's support came from the broad middle of the county, centered in places with visible African American populations, such as Southampton, Montgomery, and the South Ward of Chambersburg.

The map is derived from a D. H. Davison map of Franklin County, published in 1858. The Davison map has been georeferenced at the Virginia Center for Digital History, using ESRI Arc Info to produce a Geographic Information Systems map and database of households.

Note: Original precinct boundaries are not available. Precinct boundaries were established in the GIS using Thiessen polygons around precinct stations as central places.

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Edward L. Ayers and William G. Thomas, III
Franklin County, Pa., Election of 1860
2001

"In Franklin County, John Breckinridge won a majority in six precincts, most of them in the far northern and western belt of the county, where few blacks lived and farmers planted corn not wheat."

"Lincoln won sixteen precincts in Franklin, ten of them by margins greater than 55 percent, with support mainly from the urban center of the county and places with the highest numbers of black residents--even though black men could not vote in Pennsylvania."