Benton, Alabama
| Benton, Alabama | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 |
|
 Location in Lowndes County and the state of Alabama |
|
| Coordinates: 32°18′22″N 86°49′3″W / 32.30611°N 86.81750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Lowndes |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2) |
| • Land | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 141 ft (43 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 49 |
| • Density | 160/sq mi (54/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 36785 |
| Area code(s) | 334 |
| FIPS code | 01-05692 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0113937 |
Benton is a town in Lowndes County, Alabama, United States. The population was 49 at the 2010 census.
Benton is located at 32°18′22″N 86°49′3″W / 32.30611°N 86.81750°W (32.306248, -86.817551).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), of which 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (8.82%) is water.
Settled in 1832 on land owned by James Maull, it was initially known as Maull's Landing, before it was renamed and incorporated as Benton in 1834. It was named after Thomas Hart Benton, then the U.S. Senator from Missouri, who had served under General Andrew Jackson in the Creek Campaign. During the steamboat era, it was a major trading stop along the Alabama River.
Maull's son, Edward, auctioned off lots in 1855, that were incorporated into the town. The earliest year any population figures were returned by the U.S. Census for the area (below the county level) was in 1870, when Benton Beat (then one of ten divisions in Lowndes County) returned 2,627 residents, the majority of whom were newly emancipated blacks.
In 1880, Lowndes County was subdivided further into 20 beats (precincts), and the Benton Beat fell to 1,094 residents. In 1890, it declined to 994, and for the first time, the town of Benton was reported separately with a population of 265.
Benton's incorporation would lapse shortly (the town did not report a separate population in 1900) and with the shift to railroads, followed by the outmigration of the majority black population, it would dwindle in size. The Benton Precinct would fall from 1,049 in 1900 (same as its 1880 population), down to 409 by 1950, before all the county precincts were eliminated and redistricted into census divisions.
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