Benton is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...
and
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Yazoo County,
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
. It was first named as a CDP in the
2020 Census which listed a population of 415.
Mississippi Highway 433 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, 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 vi ...
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, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...
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
Parks and recreation
Benton Country Club is located in the town.
Education
The town is served by the
Yazoo County School District.
[ ]
Text list
/ref> Residents are zoned to Yazoo County Middle School and Yazoo County High School. Benton Academy, a private school, is located here.
Infrastructure
The town is served by the Benton Volunteer Fire Department.
Notable people
* Fred Waters, professional baseball player and minor league coach.
References
Unincorporated communities in Yazoo County, Mississippi
Unincorporated communities in Mississippi
Census-designated places in Yazoo County, Mississippi
{{YazooCountyMS-geo-stub