Benton is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Franklin County, Illinois Franklin County is a county in Southern Illinois. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 37,804. The largest city is West Frankfort and the county seat is Benton. This area of Southern Illinois is known locally as "Little Egypt". History ...

. The population was 6,709 at the 2020 census.

History

Founding

Benton, the county seat of Franklin County, took its name from the prominent senator from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858). The village of Benton was organized in 1841 on of property donated by John Ewing and Walter S. Akin. In 1902 the village became a city, and incorporated under the mayor/commissioner form of government. Franklin County was platted in 1818, the year Illinois became a state, at twice its current size. It included the territory that is now Williamson County. In 1839 the county was split roughly in half and the county seat was permanently fixed "at a hill at the south end of Rowling's Prairie", the site of the future city of Benton. The

Franklin County Courthouse Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral div ...

sat in the center of the Public Square. It was the fourth courthouse that served the people of Franklin County. The Italianate building was constructed in 1874–75 at a cost of $27,500.00 Much of Benton's growth in the past can be traced to the abundance of high sulfur coal, the presence of multiple railroads, rich soil and the industry of its people.

Major events

On April 19, 1928, Benton was the site of the next-to-last public hanging in Illinois, when local gangster

Charles Birger Charles "Charlie" Birger (born Shachna Itzak Birger, February 5, 1881 – April 19, 1928) was an American bootlegger during the Prohibition period in southern Illinois. Early life Charles Birger was born to a Jewish family in the Russian Empir ...

was executed on the gallows next to the county jail for the December 12, 1926 murder of Joe Adams, mayor of nearby West City. A replica of the gallows and hangman's noose were built by the late retired Old Ben Coal miner, businessman & carpenter, Birchard L. Wampler (March 9, 1938 – June 29, 2010) and his son Birchard Neil Wampler. They remain standing today next to the old Franklin County Jail turned Museum. In September 1963,

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

visited Benton while on vacation, the first time any member of the group visited American soil. He stayed at the home of his sister, Louise, at 113 McCann Street. The bungalow used to be the Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast. During his trip he traveled from Benton to Fenton's Music Store in Mt. Vernon, IL to purchase a Rickenbacker 425 that later sold at auction for $657k. Harrison also performed with a band called "The Four Vests" at the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

hall in

Eldorado, Illinois Eldorado () is a city in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,122 at the 2010 census, with a 1980 peak of 5,198. Although the city's name is spelled as if it were Spanish, the name was originally "Eldereado" or “Elder-Re ...

. In an interview, Harrison's sister Louise said "his real first visit to America was when he came to the Midwest in September 1963 and he met these wonderful, warm, friendly, real warm Midwesterners... school teachers, retired miners and all kinds of just wonderful people... and a little band. He had a fantastic time. He thought they were just wonderful people." In April 1995, a

KKK The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

rally was held outside the Franklin County Courthouse in Benton that drew a crowd of about 400, though not all those in attendance were in support of the KKK. Two members of the KKK spoke negatively of Jews, Blacks, Gays, liberal politicians, and reporters. About 40 police officers were present for the event, and some were wearing riot gear. In August 2017, a commemorative mural of

was created and donated by California artist John Cerney. Cerney caught word of Harrison's memorable visit to the town on a Sirius radio program, which inspired Cerney's creation. The "highway art" can be found facing southbound traffic along

Interstate 57 Interstate 57 (I-57) is a north–south Interstate Highway in Missouri and Illinois that parallels the old Illinois Central Railroad for much of its route. It runs from Sikeston, Missouri, at I-55 to Chicago, Illinois, at I-94. I-57 essen ...

. The project was completed just in time for tourists to admire it as they traveled through the city for the total solar eclipse of 2017. In June 2020, following the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...

, a Black Lives Matter protest was held at the Franklin County Courthouse in Benton. At the time of the protest, the courthouse was being prepared for demolition. The protest attracted a crowd of about 60 people. The protest came 25 years after the KKK rally (mentioned above) was held in the same spot.

Geography

Land and water area

According to the 2010 census, Benton has a total area of , of which (or 96.81%) is land and (or 3.18%) is water.

Benton Public Library

Benton Public Library serves all residents of Benton High School District.
www.benton.lib.il.us
The library has a program in which people can pay for brick to be engraved and used on its property, and the funds made go to the library. The library contains about 48,000 materials, including Books, Audio books, Magazines, Large Print Materials, and Music CDs. Access to computers is also available at the library.

Benton Public Park

The Benton Public Park has a few playgrounds, and picnic areas, as well as tennis courts, basketball courts, and ball fields. The Public Park also has a paved walking path that loops around the ball fields. The park is located near a railroad, and a red caboose sits at the entrance of the park.

Media

Newspapers

Benton and surrounding areas are served by two weekly local newspapers, '' The Benton News'' and ''The Benton Gazette''. Other newspapers such as ''

The Southern Illinoisan ''The Southern Illinoisan'' is a daily newspaper based in Carbondale, Illinois, known locally as "The Southern." As of October 2014, it has a daily circulation of 21,270, and a Sunday circulation of 26,958. It is one of the major regional newspa ...

'' serve Benton and much wider areas surrounding it.

Television news

Benton does not have any news channels broadcast from the city. Many news channels still do serve the Benton, Illinois area. WSIL (channel 3), KFVS (channel 12), and Fox 23 (channel 23) are among the most popular channels that provide some local news for Benton.

Internet access

Benton has multiple

Internet Service Providers An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise privatel ...

that provide

Broadband internet In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

. There are nine total internet service providers available for residential usage. Six of the internet service providers can offer broadband speeds (download of 25 Mbit/s). Three offer speeds that higher than 100 Mbit/s. The fastest internet service available is offered by NewWave at top speeds of 200Mbit/s. Between all service providers with Broadband speeds they offer: DSL, cable, fixed wireless, and satellite internet.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 6,880 people, 2,938 households, and 1,824 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 3,270 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.29%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.28%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.06% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.51% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.51% of the population. There were 2,938 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males. The

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

for a household in the city was $44,795, and the median income for a family was $35,339. Males had a median income of $27,323 versus $19,403 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $27,932. About 15.6% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Charlie Birger, bootlegger during prohibition, hanged on 19 April 1928 at the Franklin County Jail in Benton *

Lin Bolen Lin Bolen (March 21, 1941 – January 19, 2018) was an American television executive and producer. She was most noted for her role at NBC daytime television programming as the first female vice president of a TV network, a position she held from ...

, former vice president of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

* Carl Choisser, Illinois state representative, lawyer, and newspaper editor * Doug Collins, NBA coach, player, broadcaster, and Olympic basketball player *

William A. Denning William A. Denning (1817 – September 4, 1856) was an American jurist and politician. Born in Kentucky, Denning moved to Frankfort, Illinois to practiced law. He then moved to Benton, Illinois when the county seat for Franklin County, Illin ...

, Illinois Supreme Court justice and state legislator *

Gary Forby Gary Forby (born January 4, 1945) is a former Democratic member of the Illinois Senate. He represented the 59th District from 2003 to 2017. The 59th Senate District includes Franklin, Hamilton, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Hardin, Pope, Ma ...

, Illinois State Senator *

Billy Grammer Billy Wayne Grammer (August 28, 1925 – August 10, 2011) was an American country music singer and accomplished guitar player. He recorded the million-selling " Gotta Travel On", which made it onto both the country and pop music charts in 1959. ...

, Grand Ole Opry star * Richard O. Hart, Illinois state representative and lawyer *

William L. Hungate William Leonard Hungate (December 14, 1922 – June 22, 2007) was a United States representative from Missouri from November 3, 1964 (special election upon the death of Congressman Clarence Cannon), to January 3, 1977, representing the Ninth Cong ...

, federal judge and congressman from

John Malkovich John Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

, actor * Shirley Marsh, Nebraska state senator * Rodney K. Miller, television host for

Small Town Big Deal ''Small Town Big Deal'' is an American television news magazine that runs in first-run syndication with a focus on human interest stories in rural America. The TV program is co-hosted by Rodney K. Miller and Jann Carl. Together, they travel the U ...

Offa Neal Theophilus Fountain Neal (June 5, 1876 – April 25, 1950), was a Major League Baseball third baseman for the New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants ...

, third baseman for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

* Ernest J. Odum, Illinois state representative and lawyer *

Carl Scarborough Carl Scarborough (July 3, 1914 – May 30, 1953) was an American racecar driver. He died from heat exhaustion during the 1953 Indianapolis 500, a race in which several drivers experienced heat-related illness. The race was Scarborough's second ent ...

, race car driver, born in Benton *

Noble Threewitt Noble Winfield Threewitt (February 24, 1911 – September 17, 2010) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who conditioned horses for seventy-five years before retiring on his ninety-sixth birthday. The city of Arcadia, California, hom ...

, thoroughbred race horse trainer, born in Benton in 1911 *

Herbert L. Upchurch Herbert L. Upchurch (June 18, 1908 – January 20, 1979) was an American educator and politician. Upchurch was born on a farm near Benton, Franklin County, Illinois. Father to his only child Jimmy and Wife Lucille. He went to the Franklin Co ...

, Illinois state legislator and educator *

Rich Yunkus Richard A. Yunkus (born November 13, 1949) is an American former basketball player, best known for his All-American college career at Georgia Tech. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, to a family of Lithuanian descent, Yunkus was a star player at Benton H ...

, former

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player

References

External links

''Benton Evening News''
{{authority control Cities in Illinois Cities in Franklin County, Illinois County seats in Illinois Populated places in Southern Illinois Populated places established in 1841 1841 establishments in Illinois Sundown towns in Illinois