Benton County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U. S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 221,339, making it the second-most populous county in Arkansas; the county seat is Bentonville. The county was formed on September 30, 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U. S. Senator from Missouri. In 2012, Benton County voters elected to make the county wet, or a non-alcohol prohibition location. Benton County is part of the Northwest Arkansas region. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 884 square miles, of which 847 square miles is land and 37 square miles is water. Most of the water is in Beaver Lake. Barry County, Missouri Carroll County Madison County Washington County Adair County, Oklahoma Delaware County, Oklahoma McDonald County, Missouri Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge Ozark National Forest Pea Ridge National Military Park As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 153,406 people, 58,212 households, 43,484 families residing in the county.

The population density was 181 people per square mile. There were 64,281 housing units at an average density of 76 per square mile; the racial makeup of the county was 90.87% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 1.65% Native American, 1.09% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.08% from other races, 1.82% from two or more races. 8.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of 2005 estimates, Benton County's population was 81.7% non-Hispanic white, while the percentage of Latinos grew by 60 percent in the time period. 1.1% of the population was African-American. 1.6% reported two or more races not black-white due to a minuscule African-American population. 12.8% was Latino, but the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce believed the official estimate is underreported and Latinos could well be 20 percent of the population. There were 58,212 households out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.00% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.30% were non-families.

21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out with 26.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,281, the median income for a family was $45,235. Males had a median income of $30,327 versus $22,469 for females; the per capita income for the county was $19,377. About 7.30% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.80% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 221,339; the racial makeup of the county was 76.18% Non-Hispanic white, 1.27% Black or African American, 1.69% Native American, 2.85% Asian, 0.30% Pacific Islander.

15.49 % of the population was Latino. Politically, Benton County is arguably one of the most Republican-Leaning Counties in Arkansas. Benton County has not voted Democrat in a Presidential election since 1948, when former Missouri senator Harry S. Truman won Benton County along with winning Arkansas as a whole. Walmart corporate headquarters is located in Bentonville. Daisy Outdoor Products, known for its air rifles, is headquartered in Rogers. JB Hunt Transport Services corporate headquarters is located in Lowell. Tyson Foods, based in Springdale, has a distribution center located in Rogers; the historic Trail of Tears is on US highways 62 and 71 and connects with U. S. Route 412 in nearby Washington County. Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport is located near Highfill. Rogers Municipal Airport serves surrounding communities; the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad parallels US Highways 71 in the county. Like all of the conservative Bible Belt of the Ozarks and Ouachitas, Benton County is Republican, it voted Republican in 1928 and 1944, the last Democratic presidential nominee to carry the county was Harry S. Truman in 1948.

Along with nearby Sebastian County it was one of the few counties in Arkansas to resist the appeal of southern “favorite sons” George Wallace, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Avoca Garfield Gateway Highfill Springtown Cherokee City Hiwasse Lost Bridge Village Maysville Prairie Creek Note: Most Arkansas counties have names for their townships. Benton County, has numbers instead of names. Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county; each township includes unincorporated areas. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States Census does list Arkansas population based on townships. Townships are of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research; each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Benton County are listed b

Spencer Road Halt railway station was a halt on the Woodside and South Croydon Railway opened in 1906 and closed on 15 March 1915. The site is hidden in Birdhurst Rise in South Croydon; the railway had hoped that passengers would change to the Brighton Line by making the ten-minute walk to South Croydon station but few did. Spencer Road was among several new stations and halts opened in the suburbs, including Reedham and Bandon, to compete with the convenience of electric trams and to a lesser extent omnibuses, whose effect was being felt on railway income with regard to shorter journeys. Apart from a metal footbridge which carried the path between Spencer Road and Birdhurst Rise over the line, the halt consisted of just a pair of wooden platforms and nameboards. Oil lamps were likely to have been provided; the platforms were reached from wooden gates on either side of the footbridge. The halt closed in 1915 as a wartime economy, but remained intact until at least 1931; the remains were cleared by the Southern Railway in preparation for reopening and electrification of the line in 1935.

An up starter signal for Selsdon on a post made of old rails was subsequently installed on the site of the Up platform, during the Second World War a tank trap was built on the site of the Down platform. The halt has been demolished but the footbridge remains in use; as of 2018 the double track was still in situ but overgrown. The nearby underbridge crossing Croham Road is extant. Map sources for Spencer Road Halt railway station Article at Subterranea Britannica with several images Photo of the adjacent scout hut, on the Up side, from the footbridge

Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste Raguenet was a French painter born in Gentilly. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste Raguenet and painter, Genevieve Murgues; the Raguenets and son, put together a veritable portrait of Paris with their many paintings depicting buildings and landscapes in the city. A master painter trained at the Académie de Saint-Luc, he was responsible for many "View of Paris" paintings, notably of the Seine, with an photographic precision, which adds a historical interest to his works in addition to their artistic value. Many of his works were acquired by the Carnavalet Museum in 1882, his known paintings include: Vue de l’Archevêché L’Hôtel de Ville et la place de Grève Le cabaret à l’Image Notre-Dame, sur la place de Grève Maisons du cloître Notre-Dame, donnant sur la rivière La joute des mariniers, entre le pont Notre-Dame et le Pont-au-Change Vue des hauteurs de Chaillot Le Palais des Tuileries Le Pont-Neuf et le quai des Orfèvres Le Louvre et le Pont Neuf Vue de la Seine à Ivry Le château de Menars L’Incendie de l’Hôtel-Dieu Le Pont Neuf et la Samaritaine L’Ile Saint-Louis L’Hôtel Bretouvilliers L’Arsenal L’Ile Louviers Le Quai de la Salpétrière Le Village de Chaillot Vue du Pont-Neuf avec la Samaritaine Media related to Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste Raguenet at Wikimedia Commons