Benton, Mississippi

Benton is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 Census which listed a population of 415.[3]

Benton, Mississippi
Census-designated place
Benton, Mississippi is located in Mississippi
Benton, Mississippi
Benton, Mississippi
Benton, Mississippi is located in the United States
Benton, Mississippi
Benton, Mississippi
Coordinates: 32°49′35″N 90°15′34″W
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyYazoo
Area
[1]
 • Total4.57 sq mi (11.82 km2)
 • Land4.56 sq mi (11.82 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
341 ft (104 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total415
 • Density90.93/sq mi (35.11/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
39039
GNIS feature ID666835[2]

Mississippi Highway 433 passes through the community.

History

Benton was settled in 1828 by William P. Gadberry. The first county court was held in his log home.

The county seat was moved from Beatties Bluff to Benton in 1829. Benton developed quickly, and soon became the center of trade. Benton was chartered in 1836, and incorporated in 1846.[4][5][6] In 1849, the county seat was moved to Yazoo City, to which a Mr. Benton wrote at the time:

With the removal of the county seat, Benton began to decline and each year its population lessens, and the few houses left are dilapidated, dingy, decaying, and tumbling down. Its population is about forty or fifty. It has two or three small stores, which do a limited neighborhood business.[7]

The Yazoo County Agricultural High School—one of the largest and best of its kind in the state—was constructed in Benton in 1912. Benton High School was opened in 1930, and was used until the late 1990s. These educational facilities required new gravel roads to be constructed to Benton, which encouraged families to move back to the town. New stores were built, a deep well was dug, and a telephone exchange was established.[8]

The March Against Fear in 1966 passed through Benton. Martin Luther King Jr. and others camped at the Oak Grove AME Church south of the town, where they were given food and water by members of the church and by the Woods family, who owned property next to the church.[9] A historic marker is located there.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2020415—
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
2020[11]

2020 census
Benton CDP, Mississippi – Racial and Ethnic Composition
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2020[11] % 2020
White alone (NH) 298 71.81%
Black or African American alone (NH) 94 22.65%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 3 0.72%
Asian alone (NH) 1 0.24%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 1 0.24%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 1 0.24%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 10 2.41%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 7 1.69%
Total 415 100.00%

Parks and recreation

Benton Country Club is located in the town.

Education

The town is served by the Yazoo County School District.[12] Residents are zoned to Yazoo County Middle School and Yazoo County High School.

Benton Academy, a private school, in located here.

Benton High School, originally Yazoo County Agricultural High School, was once located here.

Infrastructure

The town is served by the Benton Volunteer Fire Department.

Notable people
  • Fred Waters, professional baseball player and minor league coach.[13]
  • John Sharp Williams, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1903 to 1908; lived on nearby Cedar Grove Plantation.[4]

References
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Benton, Mississippi
  3. "Benton CDP, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. "Benton Mississippi Historical Marker". Visit Mississippi. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  5. Laws of the State of Mississippi. Mississippi State Printer. 1846.
  6. Hellmann, Paul T. (2006). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. ISBN 1135948593.
  7. "Extinct Towns & Villages of Yazoo County, MS". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  8. ELMalvaney (August 20, 2009). "Abandoned Mississippi: Yazoo County Agricultural High School". Preservation in Mississippi.
  9. "African-American Heritage". Visit Yazoo. November 1, 2012.
  10. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  11. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Benton CDP, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
  12. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Yazoo County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 31, 2022. - Text list
  13. "Fred Waters". Baseball Reference. Retrieved February 18, 2014.


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