The Benton post office opened in 1816, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Benton Centre (1828), Cashong (1833) and Fergusons Corners (1842), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 3,357 in 18202020 census: 2,985210 years
How historic is Benton?
A
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
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 89% of U.S. towns, #282 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Benton’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Benton’s 47.5 sits above most of its state (68% of New York towns have fewer) while its 14 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.7 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.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Benton had its own post office from 1816 to 1868. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Benton
1816–1868
Benton Centre
1828–1906
Cashong
1833–1838
Fergusons Corners
1842–1901
Bellona
1868–today
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AngusBellonaBenton CenterHavens Corner
Gone or out of use
School Number 1schoolSchool Number 10schoolSchool Number 11schoolSchool Number 12schoolSchool Number 2schoolSchool Number 3schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 5schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 7schoolSchool Number 8schoolSchool Number 9school
Kashanquash, a village of the Seneca tribe, was located in the northeast part of Benton as late as 1779.
The town was formed in 1803 from the Town of Jerusalem before the formation of Yates County. Originally called the "Town of Vernon," the name was changed to "Snell" to avoid confusion with another "Vernon." Finally, the name was changed to "Benton," after Levi Benton, thought to be the first settler in the town.
In 1818, the town was reduced in size by the founding of the Town of Milo. A further loss of territory came about in 1851 when the Town of Torrey was created.
Benton had brought in a bill for commissioners to treat for annexation, and so worded as to authorize negotiations with Mexico at the same time, and get her acquiescence to the alienation in the settlement of boundaries with her. His bill was in these terms : " That a State, to be formed out of the present republic of Texas, with suitable extent and
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.
Timeline
Benton, 1816 to 1906
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Benton post office opened in 1816, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Benton rank for history?
Benton is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #282 of 758 in New York. 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?
6 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Barden Cobblestone Farmhouse (listed 1992, the first). 14 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Benton?
26% of Benton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.
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