Benton County, Iowa
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 16 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1976. Most listings are in or near Vinton, Belle Plaine, Eagle Center.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Iowa is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Benton titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP12 of 16 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
16 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Belle Plaine Main Street Historic District | Belle Plaine | 2013 |
| Benton County Courthouse | Vinton | 1976 |
| Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Passenger Station-Vinton | Vinton | 1990 |
| Central Vinton Residential Historic District | Vinton | 2012 |
| Herring Hotel | Belle Plaine | 2008 |
| Iowa Canning Company Seed House Building | Vinton | 2012 |
| McQuilkin, James Greer, Round Barn | Eagle Center | 1986 |
| Preston’s Station Historic District | Belle Plaine | 2020 |
| Ray, Frank G., House & Carriage House | Vinton | 1982 |
| Round Barn, Bruce Township Section 3 | Eagle Center | 1986 |
| Sankot Motor Company | Belle Plaine | 1995 |
| Shellsburg Bridge | Shellsburg | 1998 |
| Upper Stone Schoolhouse | Vinton | 1983 |
| Vinton Public Library | Vinton | 1983 |
| Youngville Cafe | Watkins | 2007 |
| Zalesky, Frank E. and Katie (Cherveny), House | Belle Plaine | 2012 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBBenton was formed in 1837 (1837-12-21) from Dubuque.
BENTON created by Wisconsin Territory from DUBUQUE.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusBenton County population from 1850 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1850 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 672 | 8,496 | 24,888 | 25,177 | 24,080 | 22,879 | 22,656 | 23,422 | 23,649 | 25,308 | 25,575 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS58 cemeteries and 3 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 58 of 58 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Beal Cemetery |
| Bear Creek Cemetery |
| Bellar Cemetery |
| Bender Cemetery |
| Big Grove Cemetery |
| Bishop Grove Cemetery |
| Calvary Cemetery |
| Carlisle Grove Cemetery |
| Cox Cemetery |
| East - Eden Cemetery |
| Engledow Cemetery |
| Evergreen Cemetery |
| Fairview Cemetery |
| Fix Cemetery |
| Garrison Cemetery |
| Gnagy Cemetery |
| Greenwalt Cemetery |
| Holy Cross Cemetery |
| Houghton Cemetery |
| Indian Cemetery |
| International Cemetery |
| Irving Cemetery |
| Keystone Cemetery |
| Kisling Cemetery |
| LaRue Cemetery |
| Lutheran Cemetery |
| Maplewood Cemetery |
| McBroom Cemetery |
| Mound Cemetery |
| Mount Auburn Cemetery |
| Norway Cemetery |
| Oakwood Cemetery |
| Old International Cemetery |
| Parkers Grove Cemetery |
| Pettit Hill Cemetery |
| Pleasant Hill Cemetery |
| Plum Grove Cemetery |
| Prairie Lutheran Cemetery |
| Pratt Creek Cemetery |
| Raetz Cemetery |
| Rampton Cemetery |
| Redman Cemetery |
| Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery |
| Saint Josephs Cemetery |
| Saint Marys Cemetery |
| Saint Marys Cemetery |
| Saint Michaels Cemetery |
| Saint Patricks and Saint Pauls Cemetery |
| Saint Stephens Lutheran Cemetery |
| Salem Cemetery |
| Shellsburg Cemetery |
| Spencers Grove Cemetery |
| Stringtown Cemetery (historical) |
| Twogood Cemetery |
| United Brethren Cemetery |
| Urbana Cemetery |
| Urmy Cemetery |
| Wright Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 3 of 3
| Name |
|---|
| Benton City |
| Benton Station |
| Manatheka |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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