Benton is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

and

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Yazoo County Yazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,065. The county seat is Yazoo City. It is named for the Yazoo River, which forms its western border. Its name is said to come from a ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 Census which listed a population of 415.

Mississippi Highway 433 Mississippi Highway 433 (MS 433) is a state highway in western Mississippi consisting of two segments. The western segment, running entirely in Sharkey County, Mississippi, Sharkey County is unsigned highway, unsigned and runs for about . Th ...

passes through the community.

History

Benton was settled in 1828 by William P. Gadberry. The first county court was held in his log home. The county seat was moved from Beatties Bluff to Benton in 1829. Benton developed quickly, and soon became the center of trade. Benton was chartered in 1836, and incorporated in 1846. In 1849, the county seat was moved to

Yazoo City Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's m ...

, to which a Mr. Benton wrote at the time:

With the removal of the county seat, Benton began to decline and each year its population lessens, and the few houses left are dilapidated, dingy, decaying, and tumbling down. Its population is about forty or fifty. It has two or three small stores, which do a limited neighborhood business.

The Yazoo County Agricultural High School—one of the largest and best of its kind in the state—was constructed in Benton in 1912. Benton High School was opened in 1930, and was used until the late 1990s. These educational facilities required new gravel roads to be constructed to Benton, which encouraged families to move back to the town. New stores were built, a deep well was dug, and a telephone exchange was established. The

March Against Fear The March Against Fear was a major 1966 demonstration in the Civil Rights Movement in the South. Activist James Meredith launched the event on June 5, 1966, intending to make a solitary walk from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi via ...

in 1966 passed through Benton.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

and others camped at the Oak Grove AME Church south of the town, where they were given food and water by members of the church and by the Woods family, who owned property next to the church. A historic marker is located there.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

Parks and recreation

Benton Country Club is located in the town.

Education

The town is served by the

Yazoo County School District The Yazoo County School District (YCSD) is a public school district headquartered in unincorporated Yazoo County, Mississippi (USA), near Yazoo City. The district serves areas of Yazoo County not in the Yazoo City city limits; its area includes ...

.
Text list
/ref> Residents are zoned to Yazoo County Middle School and

Yazoo County High School Yazoo County High School (YCHS) is a public high school in unincorporated Yazoo County, Mississippi, near Yazoo City.Home
Yazoo County High Scho ...

Benton Academy Benton Academy is an independent, co-educational college preparatory school in Benton, Mississippi (United States). It is a member of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools. It was founded as a segregation academy in 1969, and still ...

, a private school, in located here. Benton High School, originally Yazoo County Agricultural High School, was once located here.

Infrastructure

The town is served by the Benton Volunteer Fire Department.

Notable people

Fred Waters Fred Warren Waters (February 2, 1927 – August 28, 1989) was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and coach. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 25 Major League games for the – 56 Pittsburgh Pirates. Born in Benton, ...

, professional baseball player and minor league coach. *

John Sharp Williams John Sharp Williams (July 30, 1854September 27, 1932) was a prominent American politician in the Democratic Party from the 1890s through the 1920s, and served as the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1908 ...

, Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1903 to 1908; lived on nearby Cedar Grove Plantation.

References

Unincorporated communities in Yazoo County, Mississippi Unincorporated communities in Mississippi Census-designated places in Yazoo County, Mississippi {{YazooCountyMS-geo-stub