Editing Benton, Tennessee (section)

==History==
Benton was founded in 1840 as a county seat for Polk County, which had been established the previous year. The town, originally a trading post known as McKamy's stock stand, was named in honor of politician and US Senator from Missouri, [[Thomas Hart Benton (politician)|Thomas Hart Benton]].<ref>Marian Bailey Presswood, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1066 Polk County]."  ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2002.  Retrieved: March 31, 2008.</ref>

[[Nancy Ward]], a [[Cherokee]] known as ''Nanyehi,'' was a Beloved Woman, a leader among her people. For many years, she participated in negotiations with the British and Americans. After the American Revolution, she had an inn here and was finally buried here. The Nancy Ward Chapter of the [[Daughters of the American Revolution|DAR]], named in her honor, has marked the graves of her and her son Fivekiller.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

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On May 27, 1983, the [[Benton fireworks disaster]] occurred on a farm southeast of the city. An explosion at a secret [[fireworks]] operation killed eleven, injured one, and caused damage within a radius of several miles, revealing the illegal business.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Fireworks suspect charged with deaths|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19830530&id=5O0vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2-4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6978,8211234|work=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|location=Spokane, Washington|date=May 30, 1983|access-date=April 19, 2014|via=Google News}}</ref> This was by far the largest and most successful known illegal fireworks operation. The blast was heard more than {{cvt|20|mi}} away.