Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Benton was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: old-book passages.
The Benton post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1909.
Benton was named for Thomas Benton Murdock, a state politician.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Benton’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Benton.
Benton was founded in 1884. It was named for Thomas Benton Murdock, a state politician. Benton was incorporated as a city in 1908.
In 1969, part of the film The Gypsy Moths was shot in the Benton area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Benton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
sonal force that has been the chief element in the progress and development of that community. James C. Henrie, whose name introduces this review, belongs to that type of men. To his initiative and publicspiritedness is largely due the fact that the town of Benton has a place on the map and is one of the thriving little business centers of Butler county. When the Missouri Pacific railroad was built, Mr. Henrie donated thirty acres of land for the location of the depot and he gave the ground to the city which is the present site of the public school
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The township was named for the late Thomas Benton Murdock. Anthony G. Davis, now a resident of Benton, was, I believe, the first settler in what is now Murdock township. Mr. Davis came to Butlei county in 1857. In the year 1868 he had a little store in the southwest corner of Murdock township. Goods were hauled in those days with teams from as far as Topeka ; and the county abounded in Indians and buffalo. In 1859 came Mr. Gillian, a widower, bringing one son and three daughters. The mother of the girls, his second wife, was part
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The Benton post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1909.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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