While The Baby Boom after the Second World War stands out most prominently in our minds, it was certainly not the first one that Elgin experienced. In 1891, Elgin welcomed 500 new houses to their ranks. To that end, it was necessary to increase the educational system. The population grew so quickly that the building of the school was delayed for three months while construction workers could complete The Ludlow Shoe Factory (which would eventually be renamed The Selz Shoe Factory).

It is assumed that Franklin School was named after Benjamin Franklin, and commemorates the100th anniversary of his death.  Opening on November 17, 1891, it is the first Elgin school to be named after a person.  Franklin School replaced the "Old Baptist" which occupied that site since1842. Over the years, The Franklin School would serve as a grade school, a high school and a teacher-training center.

At the time it was built, Franklin School was considered unusually ornate. The building took on a Romanesque Revival flavor and featured a Palladian window. One onlooker said of the new building, "Everything was as clean and bright as a new trumpet!"

By the late 1960’s, the building was no longer adequate for the purpose of teaching students. It was sold in May of 1968 and converted to the Community Crisis Center.