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BHistory
History · Benson

Benson dates to 1874, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #98 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it

Most of Benson was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 104 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1973 on, and the census since 1890.

1874founded
2on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Benson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Benson began

When was Benson founded?

1874

Benson dates its founding to 1874 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 191 in 18902020 census: 3,967152 years

How historic is Benson?

B

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Benson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Benson is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #98 of 290 in North Carolina. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Benson’s overall grade.
Founding era1874, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19409.7% of homes (±5.7) · typical NC town 4.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register2 listings, 105 historic buildings, 245 per 10,000 residents · typical NC town 12.5 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 62%
NewerOlder
North Carolina towns of 2,500+ (290)Ahead of 66%

North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Benson’s 245 sits above most of its state (87% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 105 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.7 points). Two sources give 1874.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Benson’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Benson Historic District takes in 104 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Benson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Benson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBenson, North Carolina (1925): stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

2 listings protect 105 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
105
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Benson Historic District
Benson Historic DistrictHannah's Creek Primitive Baptist Church
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival2
Neoclassical Revival2
Victorian1
Bungalow, Victorian1
Bungalow1
Dutch Colonial1
All 2 listings
Benson Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985Hannah's Creek Primitive Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1991

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Benson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Benson.

Read it all →

The town of Benson, which derives its name from early settler Alfred Monroe ("Mim") Benson, owes much of its historical development to the railroad line which passed through the present location in town in 1886 on its route between Fayetteville and Contentnea. More information on the history of Benson and the surrounding communities may be found at the new Benson Museum of Local History located at 102 W. Main Street, next to the Mary Duncan Library.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Benson, 1874 to 1987

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874
    FoundingBenson is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Benson post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1925In the archiveBenson, North Carolina (1925)
  6. 1938Born hereJames Langdon, Jr. is born here
  7. 1947Born hereEarl Stephenson is born here
  8. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1984Born hereJohn Raynor is born here
  10. 1987Born hereDrew Herring is born here
By decade

Benson, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Benson, North Carolina (1925)1925Benson, North Carolina (1925)
1930s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
Main Street in2014Main Street inWilliams Tourist Court and Service Station, within city limits -- Benson, N. C. -- On Highway 3012011Williams Tourist Court and Service Station, within ci…Benson United Methodist Church in2010Benson United Methodist Church inI-95 Northbound to I-402009I-95 Northbound to I-40NCMap-doton-Benson2004NCMap-doton-Benson
On the map

Benson on the map, 1973 to 1997

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Benson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Benson on the 1973 USGS mapBenson on the 1997 USGS map1973Benson sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Benson.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Benson, North Carolina (1925)
Retake this viewBenson, North Carolina (1925), 1925

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Benson’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Benson, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,00019001920194019601980200020203,967

Grew from 191 people in 1890 to 3,967 in 2020, more than tenfold.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Benson’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Benson

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Earl StephensonAmerican baseball player · b. 1947
J
John RaynorAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1984
D
Drew HerringAmerican stock car racing driver · b. 1987
James Langdon, Jr.American politician · b. 1938

Questions about Benson’s history

What year was Benson founded?

In 1874, according to Wikidata. Benson’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1890 counted 191 people here.

How does Benson rank for history?

Benson is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #98 of 290 in North Carolina. 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 Benson?

Two places: the Benson Historic District (listed 1985) and the Hannah's Creek Primitive Baptist Church (1991).

How old are the homes in Benson?

10% of Benson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1988.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (6), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.