Yazoo County Mississippi
Beattie's Bluff84
When the county of Yazoo was first created (1832) Beattie's
Bluff, which was twelve or fifteen miles northwest of Canton,
was made the seat of justice. The courthouse, stores, and other
buildings were made of hewn logs. In 1829 the county seat was
moved to Benton and the town of Beattie's Bluff dwindled away.
Not a vestige of the place is left at the present day, the old
site being a cultivated field.
Benton In 1828 William Y. Gadberry removed to
Yazoo County from South Carolina and entered a tract of land
upon which he built a log house for his residence. This was the
beginning of the town of Benton, which in 1829 was made county
seat of Yazoo County. The place developed very rapidly and
became the center of trade for a large section of country. In
1836 it was incorporated by the Legislature.
Other acts of the Legislature which
relate to the charter of this place bear the following dates:
1837, 1842 and 1846. In a few years the first courthouse, which
was built of logs, was replaced by a beautiful two story brick
building. A school house, churches, and elegant residences were
erected at this place. Among its leading resident lawyers were
R. S. Holt, I. R. Burns, and Ronan Harden. Among the prominent
merchants of this place were _____ Fisher, James Rosslen, E. and
N. O'Reilly, R. T. Jennings, Alex. McGaughey, and Jas. Blundell.
In 1849 the seat of justice of Yazoo County was removed to Yazoo
City. Mr. Bowman says that "with the removal of the county seat,
Benton began to decline and each year its population lessens,
and the few houses left are dilapidated, dingy, decaying, and
tumbling down. Its population is about forty or fifty. It has
two or three small stores, which do a limited neighborhood
business."
Extinct Towns|
AHGP Mississippi
Footnotes:
84. The writer has received much valuable
information on the history of Beattie's Bluff, Madisonville,
Benton, Rankin, Livingston, and Vernon, from Robert Bowman,
Esq., of Yazoo City, Mississippi.
Source: The Mississippi Historical
Commission Publications, Volume V, Edited by Franklin L. Riley,
Secretary, 1902.
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