History of Benton: Rising like a phoenix from the Ashes (1865 -1890)

The decades that followed the civil war were defined by both hardship and growth. The Mississippi Delta had been brought to ruin. The many small towns in the region had been burned and depopulated. Levee's that held back the yearly floods had been broken or had fallen into disrepair and the many plantation's that dotted the region had fallen into ruin. The defeat of the Confederate armies in the field had been a very bitter pill for the people of the south to swallow and the ruins of war had left many disheartened and bankrupt.

But the people of the south were determined to rebuild. And so was the tiny town of Benton. The First step in the recovery came in 1876, when a group of leading Yazoo merchants and planters gathered in the home of Robert Clayton Shepherd, a Benton Merchant and selectman. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the formation of a bank to supply capital for the rebounding cotton industry. That was finally starting to thrive again following the devastation of the Civil War. The recovery, while welcome, was also putting a strain on local merchants, who were unable to supply the necessary financing for all the goods required by local farmers to increase production. New capital was urgently needed.

Among those attending was a former Confederate soldier who had turned merchant and farmer. Hershey Alex Brewer Jr. Who had returned to find his hometown of Benton ravaged by the war. Who's grandfather had been among the first to settle the town. He along with his best friend and fellow merchant Noel Pepper Potter and several other merchants raised $50,000 dollars to provide funds for the new bank and to obtain a charter. And on October 11, 1876, Bank of Yazoo opened its doors for business, With Shepherd serving as President, his business Associate Charles Roberts as Vice President and, Noel Pepper Potter as Cashier.

The next big break for Benton came in 1884 when a railroad line was built that connected Yazoo City to Jackson. The railroad also ran through Benton and neighboring Vaughan. With the coming of the railroad the town once more started to boom. The broken streets were repaired and replaced With the coming of the railroad there also came a trickle of new settlers. Jews also started to appear in Benton, many of them came from Russia, Germany, Poland and a few even had traveled from far away Alsace.

These newly arrived Jewish settlers soon established themselves as downtown merchants in the newly rebuilt Benton. Many of those businesses are still open. Lamensdorf's Feed and Seed, was started by Sam Lamensdorf, His great grandson Ed Lamensdorf still owns and operates the store. Henry Rosenthal was another. Rosenthal's Fine Clothing soon became the place to buy dresses and shoes. Rosenthal's wife Jane Rosenthal became quite the civic leader and dressed many beauty queens. Henry Kline soon became the town's favorite doctor.

Others soon followed, though only trickle, their impact on the community was enormous. Leon Fischel, a former confederate soldier from Vicksburg arrived in town and opened up a small jewelry and watch repair shop at the corner of main street. Fischel Jewelry is still in operation today and sells class rings to both the local public and private school. Another Jane Wexler opened up a charm school for the daughters of the bourgeois of the town.

And finally Tim Yolles arrived to open up a small pharmacy. Benton Pharmacy has remained a stable of Benton for years and is the only full line pharmacy in town. The Jewish population by and large was embraced with open arms by the gentile population of Benton.

By 1890 the Jewish population had grown to the point that a congregation was formed. The congregation still exists today as Hebrew Union Congregation. The building of a synagogue was not the only change coming to the town. A newer Episcopal Church was being built where the old one stood. The old one had been torn down as it had been used as a make-shift hospital for wounded Confederates in the Battle of Benton. The church would be a fine, pink and white church.

Benton also was among the first towns in Mississippi to have electricity and running water, Benton Electricity Company was formed in 1886 and provided lights and running water for most of the town. Forty eight electric street lamps were placed on main street. The lights burned all night long, save for the nights of a full moon.

Then in 1887 an ice house was built. The ice house provided a year around supply of ice to the town and cool drinks soon became common. Then in 1888 the telephone arrived, the first line connected the downtown merchants with the ice house. Soon the telephone spread and people even started to phone in their orders. The town was booming with steamboats still docking and trains arriving daily at the newly built Yazoo Valley Depot located in the heart of downtown.

Downtown was also undergoing changes. Gone were the wooden buildings of a generation ago. Now a fine brick building dotted the lots. Everything was brick it seemed. Many of those buildings can still be seen today. Everything was new, a new post office replaced the shaggy looking one. A park was set aside toward the north end of main. The park was in a triangle-like shape as land it encompassed was bordered by Percy Street and North Main.

And so Benton was booming. It had taken twenty five years, but the town had rebuilt itself. But as more and more of the bottom land was cleared away and more and more people flocked into Benton, many of them from the Red Clay Region of the state and the coal mining regions of Alabama and the clay hills of Georgia the town started to change. There was something strange about these people. Many of them had 'Gifts' if you believe the local lore. They came by the train load, they always settled together and always stuck together. And for some, the town of Benton was changing too fast, they wanted a return to the old ways.