Editing Benton, Illinois (section)

== History ==
On April 19, 1928, Benton was the site of the next-to-last public hanging in Illinois, when local gangster [[Charles Birger]] was executed on the gallows next to the county jail for the December 12, 1926 murder of Joe Adams, mayor of nearby [[West City, Illinois|West City]]. A replica of the gallows and hangman's noose were built by the late retired Old Ben Coal miner, businessman & carpenter, Birchard L. Wampler <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tbwilson.com/gpw/Home.html |title=Birchard L. Wampler |publisher=Tbwilson.com |access-date=2012-12-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406152000/http://www.tbwilson.com/gpw/Home.html |archive-date=2012-04-06 }}</ref> (March 9, 1938 – June 29, 2010) and his son Birchard Neil Wampler. They remain standing today next to the old Franklin County Jail turned Museum.

In September 1963, [[George Harrison]] of [[the Beatles]] visited Benton while on vacation, the first time any member of the group visited American soil. He stayed at the home of his sister, Louise, at 113 McCann Street. The bungalow used to be the Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast. During his trip he traveled from Benton to Fenton's Music Store in Mt. Vernon, IL to purchase a [[Rickenbacker 425]] that later sold at auction for $657k. Harrison also performed with a band called "The Four Vests" at the [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]] hall in [[Eldorado, Illinois]]. In an interview, Harrison's sister Louise said "his real first visit to America was when he came to the Midwest in September 1963 and he met these wonderful, warm, friendly, real warm Midwesterners{{nbsp}}... school teachers, retired miners and all kinds of just wonderful people... and a little band. He had a fantastic time. He thought they were just wonderful people."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.classicbands.com/LouiseHarrisonInterview.html | title=Gary James' Interview with Louise Harrison part one | website=ClassicBands.com }}</ref>

In April 1995, a [[Ku Klux Klan]] (KKK) rally was held outside the Franklin County Courthouse in Benton that drew a crowd of about 400, though not all those in attendance were in support of the KKK. Two members of the KKK spoke negatively of Jews, Blacks, Gays, liberal politicians, and reporters. About 40 police officers were present for the event, and some were wearing riot gear.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nineteen Klan Members Stage Rally, Attract Crowd of 400|url=https://apnews.com/179912e5451348499086d7899f659394|access-date=2020-07-16|website=AP NEWS}}</ref>

In August 2017, a {{convert|16|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} commemorative mural of George Harrison was created and donated by California artist John Cerney. Cerney caught word of Harrison's memorable visit to the town on a Sirius radio program, which inspired Cerney's creation. The "highway art" can be found facing southbound traffic along [[Interstate 57]]. The project was completed just in time for tourists to admire it as they traveled through the city for the [[Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|total solar eclipse of 2017]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=George Harrison Commemorative Mural |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/george-harrison-commemorative-mural |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

In June 2020, following the [[murder of George Floyd]], a Black Lives Matter protest was held at the Franklin County Courthouse in Benton. At the time of the protest, the courthouse was being prepared for demolition. The protest attracted a crowd of about 60 people. The protest came 25 years after the KKK rally (mentioned above) was held in the same spot.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Parker|first=Molly|title=In wake of Floyd death, rural, white Southern Illinois towns are reckoning with racist past|url=https://thesouthern.com/news/local/in-wake-of-floyd-death-rural-white-southern-illinois-towns-are-reckoning-with-racist-past/article_dce170eb-962b-534f-955c-e1e38e50ac94.html|access-date=2020-07-16|website=The Southern|language=en}}</ref>