Benjamin

History

The community was founded in 1884 by Hilory G. Bedford, president and controlling stockholder in the Wichita and Brazos Stock Company. He named it Benjamin after his son, who had been killed by lightning. To attract additional settlers, Bedford gave his stockholders a 50-acre tract of land and set aside 40 more acres for a town square. Benjamin was designed as the Knox County seat when it was organized in 1886; a school also opened in that year. A jail built in 1887 still stands as a private residence, and the old bank stands next to the sheriff's office. Benjamin was incorporated in 1928, and the population was 485 in the 1930 census. Two structures in the community, a courthouse (1938) and school building (1942), were constructed with Works Projects Administration labor. That courthouse replaced the previous stone structure built in 1888. The number of inhabitants reached a high of 599 in 1940, but that figure slowly decreased during the latter half of the 20th century.

Geography

Benjamin is situated at the junction of U.S. Highway 82 and State Highway 6 in central Knox County, roughly 90 miles north of Abilene, 160 miles west of Fort Worth, and 85 miles southwest of Wichita Falls. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. According to the Köppen climate classification, Benjamin has a semiarid climate, BSk on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  179
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

  Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  134
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  127
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  115
• American Kestrel

  Falco sparverius Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  114
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  105
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  101
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  98