BENTON TOWNSHIP

ITS FORM AND AREA.

     This township is one of the north tier, and on the west side.  Like almost all the townships on that side it is irregular in form, following ridges as its dividing lines, without much regard to section or township lines.  It is the third largest township in the county, exceeded only by Jackson and Mifflin, and is about 1,100 acres larger than Pebble Township, which lies on the east.
     The assessment roll gives Benton Township 24,562 acres of land.
     Benton Township is a rocky, hilly country.  Its streams are Sunfish Creek, in the southern part, Morgan's Fork and West Fork of Sunfish Creek, and a few other tributaries.  Morgan's Fork comes in from the northwest, and flows southeast and south to its junction with Sunfish Fork, and the West Fork also runs in a southeasterly course, uniting its waters with Morgan's Fork at the hamlet of Morganstown.  Sunfish Creek crosses the township form west to east, in the southern part.

METES AND BOUNDS - VALUATION.

     The township is bounded on the north by Ross County, east by Prebble Township, south by Sunfish and Mifflin, and west by Mifflin and Perry townships.
     The valuation of land in 1882 was $145,843, Morgantown, $1,996; total, $147,839, a fraction over $6.00 per acre.
     Its personal property in 1882, was $59,899.
     It has the famous Waverly stone within its border, but its greatest wealth lies in its timber, which is of very heavy growth, and of the leading hard-wood growth, such as the different kinds of oak, hickory, maple, etc.

WHEN ORGANIZED.

     A petition was received from inhabitants of the east end of Mifflin Township, Mar. 7, 1842, to be described as follows:
     "Beginning at or where the said Mifflin Township line crosses the road leading form Piketown to Hillsborough, near Richard Rittenhouse's, and running eastward with original line of Mifflin and Pebble townships till it strikes the Ross County line; thence with said Ross County and Pike County line until it strikes the Perry Township line; thence with said line until it strikes the dividing ridge between Morgan's Fork of Sunfish and Kincaid's Fork, near Lunbeck's; thence with said ridge, including Peter Brant, Jr., John Barton and William Magafech, so as to strike the improvement of Enoch P. Brant, on said ridge; thence due south to strike the Mifflin and Sunfish line on the ridge between Main Sunfish and Chenoweth's Fork; thence with the original line to the beginning."
     The auditor was instructed to notify the inhabitants of new township to meet at the house of John Moore on the first Monday of April to elect the usual number of township officers for said township of Benton.
     There have been but two changes of note in the boundary of the township, and they are described below.
     "Beginning at corner of Benton Township, on ridge near Richard Rittenhouse's; thence a straight line to the corner of Daniel Parker's land on the division line of James Taylor's survey; thence with said line to corner of James B.'s land in the Waverly road; thence with said road easterly to southeast corner of A. Cummings's land; thence north; thence east to northeast corner of Taylor's  survey, etc."
     "Ordered, That the line between them be run and plainly marked by Thomas Wilson, County Surveyor.

POPULATION AND POLITICS.

     The population of Benton Township dates from the census of 1850.  In that year it was 639; 1860, 811; 1870, 1,119; 1880, 1,474.  It has shown a steady growth as any township in the county, and in some respects, notwithstanding its rugged and broken surface, has gained faster than many other more favored townships.  Pee Pee and other good agricultural municipalities have not grown as steadily or as fast as Benton.

MORGANTOWN

     is the capital city of Benton Township, and boasts of a population of about seventy-five.  It has a pleasant location on Morgan Fork, and near it is the mouth of West Fork of Sunfish Creek.  It lies in teh valley and has ranges of lofty hills all around it.
     There is a general store kept by Messrs. Marhoover & Edgar about a mile north of the hamlet, and C. A. Rodgers has a portable saw-mill, which is now located just east of the town.  This mill has been in use some fifteen years.  There are two excellent grist-mills in the township, one owned by Jno. P. Dewey, on Morgan's Fork., in the northern part of the township, which was first erected about 1850, and the other is on Sunfish Creek, in the extreme southern portion of the township, and is owned by a Mr. Brammer.
     The records of the township are among the lost papers, and a full list of township officers could not be secured.  Those of the present year are given: Trustees, John R. Ford, Wm. Watts and Vincent Bond; Clerk, A. H. Moore; Treasurer, W. H. Wilson; Assessor, Wm. Armstrong;  Constable, W. H. Herdman; Justices of the Peace, Cyrus Parker and Thomas Lambert.

SCHOOLS.

     There are seven school districts in Benton Township, as follows:
Sub-district No. 1, Anderson's School - Teacher, Ida Milburn; scholars, seventy-four.
Sub-district No. 2, Morgantown School - Teacher, E. S. Cummings; scholars, Sixty-eight.
Sub-district No. 3, Ashenfelter School - Teacher, R. M. Vincent; scholars, seventy-two.
Sub-district No. 4, Rolston's School - Scholars, sixty-two.
Sub-district No. 5, Greenbrier School, Teacher, W. M. Hiser; scholars, sixty-seven.
Sub-district No. 6, Colored School - Teacher, James Jackson; scholars, fifty-eight.
Joint Sub-district No. 7, Bond School - Teacher, E. T. Bond; scholars, fifty-two.  Thirty-two belong to Benton Township and twenty to Pebble Township.

CHURCHES.

     The Methodist Episcopal Church of Morgantown, is comparatively a new organization, dating from 1875.  The society was formed by Rev. Z. D. Hickman, with a class of thirty members.  They erected their church the same year, which is located in the northern part of the town.  Rev. Z. D. Hickman is their present day pastor, with thirty-five members, and Trustees as follows:  Samuel Griffith, A. S. Rodgers and B. A. Cooper.  Preaching is had every other Sabbath, and Sunday-school every Sabbath during the summer months.  Social meetings are also held every other Sunday.

     The Christian Church - Like the other, this church is of a late date, being organized by Rev. Mr. Watts, with twelve members, in 1879.  They have a church building of their own, but at this time no stated preaching, being without a pastor.  The Elders and Trustees are: Alfred Cooper, Josiah McNeal and Joseph McNeal.  The church is situated in the northwest part of Morgantown.

     Christian Union - This church is located four and one-half miles northwest of Morgantown, and was organized in 1882, by Rev. Jacob Anderson, with a class of twenty members.  Their church building was erected in 1883, and is a neat and comfortable building.  Trustees:  Michael McBride, John R. Ford and Harvey Howard.  Their regular service is held every two weeks.

     Christian Union, , another church of the above denomination, is located in School District No. 7, and was organized in 1879, by Rev. Shoemaker, with fifteen members.  He still retains charge of the church as its regular pastor, and the membership has increased to thirty.  At present they have no place to worship of their own, but hold their regular meetings every two weeks in the Bond School house.  A Sabbath school is connected with the church which continues regularly every Sabbath-day during the summer months.  Both church and school is in a prosperous condition and the society expects to erect a church building during 1884.

BIOGRAPHICAL