Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Benton was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Its Register listing is the Scott County Courthouse. Below: maps from 1934 on and the census since 1880.
Benton dates its founding to 1796 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyFrom Wikipedia’s history of Benton.
Benton was settled as early as 1796. The town site was platted in 1822. The community was named after Thomas Hart Benton. A post office has been in operation at Benton since 1823.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Benton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Benton County, south of the river, I think was attached to Washington County till January 10th, 1831, when, I think, it was attached to Crawford County, till January 2d, 1833, when it became a part of Greene, I think, though the only evidence of this I can find is, that the citizens of Benton, by the act organizing Benton, were required to pay taxes then due to the Counties of Pettis and Greene.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
It seems to have been during this fever of land speculation that the first great tide of immigration settled in Missouri. The particulars of the settlement of Benton County during this time, from 1833 to 1836, when the first census was taken, I have been unable to obtain, and if I had them, their narration would be too lengthy for this sketch. I can only make some general allusions to the settlement of localities not before mentioned. Before any white settlers came on to this creek, three free negroes settled
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Benton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Benton.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Grew from 109 people in 1880 to 866 in 2020, 7 times over.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Benton’s Wikipedia page.
In 1796, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Benton’s post office opened in 1823, and the census of 1880 counted 109 people here.
One place: the Scott County Courthouse (listed 2004).
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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.
2004
