Benton

 

BENTON - Founded 1793. Named for township from which it was formed. While settlers first came to the Benton area during the 1790s from New Jersey and New York as well as Berks and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania for agricultural opportunities in the Fishing Creek area, Benton was established as a township in 1850. Some reports state that Benton was named for Senator Thomas Hart Benton from Missouri, who served in the U.S. Senate for thirty years. The majority of Benton’s growth took place after 1860, which coincided with the rise of the lumber and tanning industries north of town.

A series of devastating fires severely undermined the growth and prosperity of the borough of Benton during the early years of 20th century. Most notably was the great fire of 1910. A major part of the community was lost, including 38 houses, 48 barns, the post office, a bank, a department store, the meeting hall, along with many other businesses in Benton. Less than a year later, a fire ripped through the Rohr McHenry Distilling Company, destroying the ten story brick warehouse along with 17,000 barrels of premium whiskey. The company closed the following year, never recovering from the fire.

Today, Benton is a small community that is located in the northern end of Columbia County at the intersection of PA 239 and PA 487, with about 1,000 residents calling Benton their home. Benton is also home to the annual Benton Frontier Days and Rodeo, which takes place in the middle of July.


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Sources and Links:
Living Places - Benton Township
Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau - Benton Area
Columbia County Genealogy Project - Chapter XI - Sugarloaf and Benton Townships: History of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania