After the Texas Revolution, Robertson County covered a vast area of 12.8 million acres from the Brazos River eastward to the Trinity River and northwest to the Cross Timbers. Situated at the southern edge of Robertson County, Franklin, later called Old Franklin, served as the county seat of justice beginning in the 1830s. Although the plat of Old Franklin does not exist because of lost or lacking records, the town included a livery stable, blacksmith, general store, saloons, and Robertson County's first school. Among its prominent residents were George Washington Hill, the town's first medical doctor, who served as a congressman for the Republic of Texas and Secretary of War for Sam Houston, and James Raymond, who through Hill's recommendation became Journal Clerk of the Republic House of Representatives and later Treasurer of the Republic and then State of Texas. Robert McAlpin Williamson, known as "Three-legged Willie," presided over the first session of Robertson County's district level court in Old Franklin in October 1838. For almost a decade, Old Franklin served as a major gateway to the area, providing settlers a stop for news, supplies, and protection during their travels. When the county seat moved to nearby Morgan in 1879, residents encountered a problem in applying for a post office because another Morgan, Texas, already existed. By then essentially a ghost town, Franklin was renamed Old Franklin, and Morgan became present-day Franklin.