Bentonville City

Bentonville City Hall is located at 117 West Central Avenue, Bentonville, AR 72712; phone: 479-271-3112.

The Arkansas Legislature established Benton County in 1836, and called for the election of a three-man commission to select a county seat. In November, 1837, the commissioners reported to the Benton county clerk that they had laid out a square and 136 lots for Bentonville in the middle of the new county. Benton County and Bentonville were named for Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri.

On December 31, 1836, John B. Dickson opened the Osage post office (renamed Bentonville post office on January 3, 1843). The county jail was built by 1837, and the first courthouse was in use by May 1838, in time for the second term of the county court. Bentonville grew slowly but steadily in its early years.

Bentonville has grown from a farming community to the home of the world's largest retailer. Sam Walton, who started with a small store on the town square, built a retail giant but kept the Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville. Bentonville is now one of the fastest-growing towns in the nation, largely because of the influx of Wal-Mart suppliers. Some parts of the city are changing quickly, but preserved and restored buildings on the square and in adjoining neighborhoods help to maintain the look and feel of the historic town.

1. Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, Central Arkansas Library System, Berryville, www.emcyclopediaofarkansas.net, accessed October, 2011.