Editing Benton, Pennsylvania (section)

==History==
The Benton area was first settled by two families in 1792. A schoolhouse was opened in 1799. Starting around 1860, tanning and lumber industries began to grow north of the borough. By 1868, Benton had about fifty houses. In the year of 1910, Benton was destroyed by a fire. Two teenagers lit firecrackers in a hay barn, which caught fire and caused over sixty buildings to burn, as the town did not yet have a water system.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/2022/07/when-most-of-town-of-benton-was.html|title = Valley Girl News}}</ref> As a result, the Benton Dam was built in 1915. However, this was not the end of Benton's disasters. Another fire struck just one year later destroying more houses. Again in 1962, a fire ripped through the town, destroying the distillery and its warehouse containing over 17,000 bottles of whiskey. In 2011, Benton was also devastated by a flood. And on April 15, 2019, an EF2 tornado touched down in Benton, damaging nine trailers and up to 50 homes and businesses.[https://data.ydr.com/tornado-archive/pennsylvania/818330/#:~:text=Summary,length%20of%20approximately%204%20miles.] Despite its various adversities and disasters, Benton continues to thrive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://itourcolumbiamontour.com/places-to-go/benton-area/|title = Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bentonnews.net/History.htm|title = Bentonnews.net}}</ref>