Benton: A growing city

Benton recently added another water tower and system to update the water supply and pressure for the town. In the past few years, the city has seen three phases of the Meyer Lake Subdivision open up with lots of beautiful new homes.

Schools

Benton is located in Kelly School District, which is in the process of building a new high school. St. Dennis Parochial School, grades first through eighth, is located in town.

City information

Benton has increased in population in the past 10 years from 560 to 732 and it is still growing. It is the county seat of Scott County.

The city clerk will be glad to help any newcomers needing information on city services. City services can be acquired at City Hall. The water deposit is $50 for a renter and $30 for a home owner.

Residents needing police and fire assistance should call 911.

The town has a tax rate of 1 percent.

Recreation and events

Benton has three ball diamonds that are very busy during the summer months, and there is a city park with a children's play area. Senior citizen housing is available in town.

In September, the Benton Chamber of Commerce has its annual Benton Neighbor Days festivities, which brings lots of family and friends together. The president of the Chamber of Commerce is Barry Urhahn.

History

County records from Scott County were destroyed during the Civil War. Goodspeed's 1888 History of Southeast Missouri provided the basic information for the county's early history, which has been used in subsequent histories.

The first log courthouse in Benton, built on the square soon after the town was laid out in 1820, quickly became inadequate and was razed. A brick building replaced it in 1844, but, poorly constructed in the first place, it soon became unsafe and was condemned. The third courthouse in Benton, a frame structure built in 1855, lasted less than 10 years.

According to Laws of Missouri, 1863, the State Legislature ordered the county seat moved to Commerce in 1863 to escape Civil War raids of armed rebels, which had prevented the court from holding any session for several months. Previous county records were moved to the military post at Cape Girardeau.

In Commerce the court built the fourth courthouse, a plain, substantial, two-story, brick courthouse. But Commerce proved to be an unacceptable site, and the people voted to move back to more centrally located Benton in 1878.

The fifth courthouse, completed in 1883, was a brick, two-story building with a cupola. The costs came to about $11,000. Thirty years later the community had outgrown the building. It was not well heated or lighted, and renovation would have been costly, so county officials decided to build a new one. The 1883 building was demolished in 1912, making way for the new and current courthouse.

City officials

Mayor Joe Stuckey

city clerk Connie Barnett

city collector Beverly Riley

police chief Roy Moore

fire chief Howard Bollinger

public works director Mike Welter

City Council members

member Howard Bollinger

member Jim Arteme

member David Mack

member Geri Hennemann

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As a resident and mayor of Benton, I truly enjoy living here. I think we have a very clean and nice town with lots of friendly and courteous residents. We are situated half way between Cape and Sikeston on U.S. Highway 61 about one mile from Interstate 55, so it is very convenient for residents who have jobs or doctors in the two towns. We also have several great local businesses to take care of your needs without having to travel.

~ -- Joe Stuckey, mayor

"Benton is a very peaceful community, and there's hardly any trouble. We're fortunate about that. There was a time when everyone knew everyone else, but the population is bigger now. Still, the residents are very friendly and helpful. I recommend Benton as a place for newcomers to the area to consider settling down in. My family and I moved to Benton from St. Louis in 1963, and I've lived here ever since. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. After the hustle and bustle of working in Cape all day, it feels good to come home to Benton to unwind."

~-- Barbara Urhahn, Benton resident.