Benton, Louisiana

Benton is a town in, and the parish seat of, Bossier Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 2,048 in 2020. The town is named for 19th century U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, a Democrat from Missouri and an ally of U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

The larger Bossier City is located south of Benton. In Benton Square downtown near the Bossier Parish School Board office, the town maintains several historical buildings, including primitive cabins, a one-room schoolhouse museum, and the boyhood home of William Clark Hughes, who was the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1926 to 1928.

History

On April 3, 1999, a powerful F4 tornado roared through portions of the town killing six people and injuring 90. A mobile home park located south of town and homes near the Palmetto Country Club were devastated. Neighborhoods affected included Haymeadow Trailer Park, Palmetto Park/Palmetto Place (adjacent to the country club), Bay Hills, Woodlake South, Twin Lake Community, and many other newer lakefront homes located around Cypress Lake. The population of Benton lakefront area nearly doubled between 2004 and 2008.

The Palmetto Country Club opened in 1954. The Shreveport Kiwanis Invitational was held at the country club from 1965 to 1969. On December 31, 2014, the club closed after recruitment drives and restructuring of the membership plan failed to make the facility financially solvent. Owner John H. Ward and a partner had run the club since 2013. Ward invested $250,000 over the past year in a vain bid to keep the facility afloat. Ward added that Palmetto "is not alone in this struggle and two dominating factors are in play: memberships are decreasing nationwide, especially in the under-40 bracket; and the industry has been overbuilt making growth within golf clubs very difficult."

Geography

Benton is located at (32.694607, -93.740595).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,048 people, 850 households, and 516 families residing in the town.

Education

Benton has six public schools: Benton Elementary School, Legacy Elementary School, Kingston Elementary, Benton Intermediate School, Benton Middle School, and Benton High School.

Notable people

* Robert E. "Bob" Barton, state representative from Bossier Parish, 1996-2000
* Walter O. Bigby, state representative and judge, graduated from Benton High School.
* Billy Bretherton, Entomologist and co-owner of Vexcon Inc, a pest control services company featured on the A&E series ''Billy the Exterminator''.
* Dewey E. Burchett, Jr., state court judge from 1988 to 2008, born in Shreveport but resided in Benton
*Jesse C. Deen, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Benton, 1972 to 1988
* Larry Deen, sheriff of Bossier Parish from 1988 to 2012
* Mike Johnson, Republican member of the United States Congress from the 4th Congressional District; constitutional attorney in Benton
* J. A. W. Lowry, Bossier Parish politician in the late 19th century; died in Benton in 1899
* George Nattin, Jr., businessman and LSU Tigers basketball player, 1959-1962
* Henry Warren Ogden, Virginia-born planter in Benton; former member of the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 4th congressional district and Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives
* Ford E. Stinson, former state representative, was a Benton native.
* Jeff R. Thompson, former state representative for Bossier Parish, 2012-2014; judge of Division B of the 26th Judicial District Court in Benton

References

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Towns in Bossier Parish, Louisiana
Towns in Louisiana
Parish seats in Louisiana
Towns in Shreveport – Bossier City metropolitan area