Gorgeous Paint Colt

The town of Benson, which derives its name from early settler Alfred Monroe ("Mim") Benson, owes much of its historical development to the railroad line which passed through the present location in town in 1886 on its route between Fayetteville and Contentnea. More information on the history of Benson and the surrounding communities may be found at the new Benson Museum of Local History located at 102 W. Main Street, next to the Mary Duncan Library. Mr. Benson's purchase of a 402-acre (1.63 km 2) tract along the Smithfield-Fayetteville Road in 1874 initiated the settlement of the area now known as Benson.