Difference between revisions of "Benton, Missouri"
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'''Benton''' is a city within [[Scott County, Missouri|Scott County]], [[Missouri]], of which it is the county seat. It had a population of 863 at the 2010 census. | '''Benton''' is a city within [[Scott County, Missouri|Scott County]], [[Missouri]], of which it is the county seat. It had a population of 863 at the 2010 census. | ||
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| + | ==History== | ||
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| + | A settlement on the current site of Benton was made as early as 1796 by Captain Charles Friend, but was not organized until 1822, when a local landowner, Colonel William Meyers, provided land for a town to be laid out. It was named in honor of [[Thomas Hart Benton]], one of Missouri's first senators and a prominent national statesman during the antebellum era.<ref>https://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_scott.html</ref> | ||
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| + | Benton was chosen to be the county seat for the newly-created Scott County, as it was close to the geographic center of the county. Except from 1864 to 1878, when the seat of government was moved to [[Commerce, Missouri|Commerce]], it has held that status continuously.<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=G-AlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA392#v=onepage&q=benton&f=false</ref> | ||
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| + | The current courthouse (at least the third such building), designed in the [[Beaux Arts]] fashion, was constructed in 1912 and sits along U.S. Route 61. In 2004, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.<ref>https://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/03001505.pdf</ref> | ||
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| + | ==Geography== | ||
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| + | Benton is located in central Scott County, at the junction of U.S. Route 61 and Missouri State Highway 77, with Interstate 55 about a mile to the east. Its exact coordinates are 37°05’49”N, 89°33’44”W. [[Scott City, Missouri|Scott City]] is about eight miles to the north, and [[Sikeston, Missouri|Sikeston]] is about 15 miles to the south. | ||
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| + | The town sits atop the southeastern face of Crowley's Ridge, a range of low hills in the northern part of the county, well above the low-lying floodplain nearby (another reason it was chosen to be the county seat). Benton has a total land area of 0.64 square miles, and an elevation of 436 feet.<ref>https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2017_Gazetteer/2017_gaz_place_29.txt</ref> | ||
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| + | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 22:25, July 22, 2019
Benton is a city within Scott County, Missouri, of which it is the county seat. It had a population of 863 at the 2010 census.
History
A settlement on the current site of Benton was made as early as 1796 by Captain Charles Friend, but was not organized until 1822, when a local landowner, Colonel William Meyers, provided land for a town to be laid out. It was named in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, one of Missouri's first senators and a prominent national statesman during the antebellum era.[1]
Benton was chosen to be the county seat for the newly-created Scott County, as it was close to the geographic center of the county. Except from 1864 to 1878, when the seat of government was moved to Commerce, it has held that status continuously.[2]
The current courthouse (at least the third such building), designed in the Beaux Arts fashion, was constructed in 1912 and sits along U.S. Route 61. In 2004, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[3]
Geography
Benton is located in central Scott County, at the junction of U.S. Route 61 and Missouri State Highway 77, with Interstate 55 about a mile to the east. Its exact coordinates are 37°05’49”N, 89°33’44”W. Scott City is about eight miles to the north, and Sikeston is about 15 miles to the south.
The town sits atop the southeastern face of Crowley's Ridge, a range of low hills in the northern part of the county, well above the low-lying floodplain nearby (another reason it was chosen to be the county seat). Benton has a total land area of 0.64 square miles, and an elevation of 436 feet.[4]