Benjamin

Benjamin, Texas

Benjamin, Texas

Water tower in the town of Benjamine, the county seat of Knox County. Photograph by Pete Unseth.

Benjamin, county seat and first town organized in Knox County, is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 82 and State Highway 6, eighty-three miles southwest of Wichita Falls. Hilory H. Bedford, president and controlling stockholder in the Wichita and Brazos Stock Company, founded the town in 1885 and named it for his son Benjamin, who had been killed by lightning. To encourage settlement in the region, Bedford gave each of his twelve fellow stockholders a fifty-acre tract of land and set aside forty additional acres for a town square. He was instrumental in the organization of Knox County in 1886, with Benjamin as the county seat. The town received its first mail service in 1884; Bedford was postmaster. In 1886 the Benjamin school was organized with R. P. Dimmitt, Mrs. Oliver, and Mrs. M. S. Berry as first teachers. Other early residents included W. P. Lane, who opened a saddle shop in 1885, Tom Isbell, the first sheriff of Knox County, and Dr. G. H. Beavers.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Benjamin is part of or belongs to the following places.

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Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Benjamin is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • (Cousinville)

Locations

  • Latitude
    33.58368940
    Longitude
    -99.79303200

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

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Benjamin by the Numbers

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Population Counts

Benjamin
Pop. Year Source
196 2020 United States Census Bureau
238 2019 Texas Demographic Center
258 2010 United States Census Bureau
264 2000 United States Census Bureau
225 1990 United States Census Bureau
257 1980 United States Census Bureau
308 1970 United States Census Bureau
338 1960 United States Census Bureau
531 1950 United States Census Bureau
599 1940 United States Census Bureau
485 1930 United States Census Bureau
500 1920 United States Census Bureau
107 1900 United States Census Bureau
107 1890 United States Census Bureau