Neighborhoods
The land that is now covered by Benton [†] had been settled circa 1838 by a farmer.;JamesMcKamy. The old FederalRoad ran by his property. Also inthe area was James Linder and his wife Barbara. They provided shelter for cattle drovers herding cattle from southern states to southern Kentucky.
The legislation that created Polk County declared that the county seat was to be called Benton, in honor of Thomas Hart Benton. The McKamy farm site was selected as the town site because of several springs which provided water.
In 1839-1840 McKamy and John F. Hannah surveyed and laid out 223 lots for the town of Benton. These lots were sold by public auction in 1840 and $11386.00 was raised by their sale.
† Karen L. Daniels/ Historic Preservation Planner, Southeast Tennessee Development District, Polk County Courthouse, nomination document, 1993, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.