Benton County

Springtown, a beautiful village is located on Flint Creek, eighteen miles southwest from Bentonville. It derives its name from its famous spring, which flows from the foot of a bank in the valley not more than fifteen feet high. The village lies just west of the spring, at the foot of the southern bluff of Flint Creek Valley. The hills beyond the valley, covered with their native forests, present cheerful scenery. Charles Kincheloe built the first house where Springtown is located, about the year 1841, and Isaac Dial built the next one close by the spring, and it is still … Read more

This city is situated on Sager’s Creek, in Hico Township, twenty-eight miles southwest from Bentonville, and has a population of about 1,500. It is within two miles of the western and six miles of the southern line of the county. Hico, which may be properly called a residence suburb of Siloam City, is a very old place for this country. Col. D. Gunter settled where he now resides, in Hico, in 1844, before the place had even become a village. About that time, or perhaps a little later, a post-office named Hico was established at a point about two miles … Read more

The original town of Rogers was surveyed and laid out in March, 1881, by John P. Hely, a land surveyor and civil engineer, for Benjamin F. Sikes, the original proprietor. It comprises parts of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 12, Town 19, Range 30, and the west half of the west half of Section 7, Town 19, Range 29. The bearings and courses of the town were surveyed on a magnetic variation of seven degrees east. The plat contains fifteen blocks, with twelve lots each, one tier of blocks being east of the railroad, and two … Read more

The loss of court records prevents the formation and organization of the original municipal townships of Benton County from being satisfactorily ascertained and given. The first change appearing of record was made in January, 1857, when John Roller and sixty-one other citizens filed a petition with the county court asking for the formation of a new township in the northeast corner of the county, within the following boundary lines, to-wit: “Commencing at Henry Moor’s on the line of Walnut Township, and running to Burks’ tanyard; thence with the State road north to the Missouri line, including all the inhabitants on … Read more

Log cabins were the domiciles of the pioneer settlers, and the building of one was a notable event. The first two or three settlers had to erect their own, with the assistance of their families. Later, the pioneer, upon arrival into the country intended for his future operations, would stop and camp at the house of some former settler, and leaving his family there would, under the guidance of the former settler, set out and hunt and select a place to his liking, usually at a spring or some creek, and then return and move his family thereto. The next … Read more

In April, 1859, John B. Putnam, with fifty other citizens of Sugar Creek, White River and Big Spring Townships, filed with the county court a petition for the formation of a new township taken from the above townships and bounded as follows, to wit: “Commencing at Henry Moor’s; thence to the mouth of Prairie Creek; thence up White River to William Graham’s farm; thence to George Callahan’s on the State road; thence to and with Osage Township line to Sugar Creek; and thence up Sugar Creek, making the bed of said creek the line up to Blankenship’s farm, and thence … Read more

In April, 1857, the county court, finding it necessary and expedient to establish a poor-house in the county of Benton, ordered that Samuel Woods, James Jackson and Dysert Woods be appointed to act as commissioners to select a proper site for such building. At the following October term of the court two of these commissioners, James Jackson and Samuel Woods, reported that they had not been able, as yet, to select such a place as in their judgment would be suitable for such purpose, and asked for further time, which was granted until the next regular term. The court then … Read more

Benton County was organized in accordance with an act of the General Assembly passed or approved September 30, 1836. In accordance with the act the first term of the county court, Judge George P. Wallace, presiding, was held in April, 1837, at the residence of said Wallace, one and a half miles east of the present site of Bentonville, when and where the organization of the county was completed. The first county officers were as follows: George P. Wallace, judge of the county court; John B. Dickson, county clerk; Gideon G. Pace, sheriff; Henry C. Hastings, treasurer; Henry Ford, coroner, … Read more

This institution of learning was established in 1874 by Prof. J. R. Roberts. Its first session was opened in Buttram’s Chapel, two and one-half miles east of the present academy buildings, and there the school was continued five years. Then, after a cessation of one year, the school was reopened at its present location, where the first academy building was erected in 1880. This building was 24×40 feet in size and two stories in height, with a school room and cloak room in each story. The school was chartered as an academy with a full course of instruction in 1884. … Read more

At the beginning of the settlement of the territory now embraced in this county, it was occupied by roving bands of the Osage and Delaware tribes of Indians, though it was not then and had not been the permanent location of these tribes. While the tribes were at enmity with each other, they were at peace with the whites, and friendly to the early settlers. Removal of Cherokee Indians The Indians were not numerous here, and did not remain long after the settlement by the whites began. In 1837 the removal of the Cherokee Indians from Georgia to the Indian … Read more