Benton’s post office opened in 1842, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 53% of U.S. towns · #79 of 142 in Kentucky. What drives it
Most of Benton was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Its Register listings are the James R. Lemon House and the Stilley House. Its Register listings are the James R. Lemon House and the Stilley House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: the first Benton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Benton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Benton is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #79 of 142 in Kentucky. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Benton’s overall grade.
Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Benton’s 4.2 sits below most of its state (33% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Benton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Benton was founded in 1842 by John Bearden and Francis H. Clayton. The town was named for Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri. Benton was then incorporated in 1845.
In 1908, Benton drove its African American residents out of town, becoming a sundown town along with the rest of Marshall County.
On January 23, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marshall County High School, near Benton, resulting in 19 injuries and 2 fatalities.
On December 10, 2021, the town was hit by the 2021 Western Kentucky Tornado.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
BentonFordHaltomThompsonThompson Cemetery Number 2
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Benton’s history
What year was Benton founded?
The Benton post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Benton rank for history?
Benton is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #79 of 142 in Kentucky. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Benton?
Two places: the James R. Lemon House (listed 1975) and the Stilley House (1986).
How old are the homes in Benton?
5% of Benton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1975.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (8), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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