Really grateful that Benton hasnt been hit by a violent tornado in a long time and I hope it doesnt ever again because when mayfield got hit the town was eerily similar to benton
My daddy, worked down there at the sawmill, down at the planer mill for an old man named Dixon. Ol' Man Dixon was a very cruel feller, didn't treat his employees very well. Didn't pay'em too much of a wage, didn't pay my daddy too much of a wage.
Fun fact: Little Rock, Benton and Hot Springs are working together to build a long walking/ biking trail from Little Rock through Benton to Hot Springs
OMG I’m watching you not only drive through my hometown, but at about 14:38 you were driving right past my house (which you can’t really see for the trees and camera angle), with a car and truck parked out front on the left, and a guy out mowing the lawn. Although I’m really not living in this house by choice at the moment-my parents both have dementia and physical health problems, and I am their primary caregiver-I consider myself lucky to have grown up here, in the same old 1928 house that my mother grew up in as well, walking up the street to church with my dad on many Sundays when I was a little girl, to First Methodist, the big church right across from the courthouse, and only about three blocks up the street from us. Then at about 16:00 you drove right past my grandmother’s old house-the buff brick house on the left corner. She died in 1990 when I was only 15, but my brother and I grew up riding our bikes through that neighborhood to my grandmother’s house and everywhere else. And I’m happy to say that kids are still doing that here today. It’s a nice little town, especially being convenient to Little Rock or Hot Springs. The whole Benton/Bryant area is nice as a whole and the schools are great. Benton was actually named in money.com’s 2021 list of 50 best places to live. Re the mural: -the Hernando De Soto trail runs through Benton/Saline Co., hence the Spanish explorers. The Spanish and French both came through this general area (Little Rock was La Petite Roche, from a rocky outcropping on the Arkansas river in what is now downtown Little Rock. (Obviously named by the French explorers coming up the Arkansas River from the Mississippi river.) -My brother was used as one of the models for the mural. He’s the guy in a brown vest helping the woman in the long white skirt plant seeds. (My dad says you can tell it’s him because he doesn’t know how to hold a garden tool correctly!😂) -The guy making pottery is “Bullet” Hyten, the creator of Niloak pottery. The piece of pottery shown, with the swirls of different colors, is all natural clay of different colors found in the area. Mr. Hyten had a booming pottery business in the early 20th century, and Niloak pottery is highly collectible today. (His daughter, Arlene Hyten Rainey, was the grande dame of Benton for decades- not to mention a very interesting, and kind, lady-and only died last year at 105, remaining very active well into her 90s. She was also my godmother.❤️) Fun fact there have been a few movies filmed in Benton including Slingblade (1994)- starring/directed by Billy Bob Thornton. (He grew up near Hot Springs, about 20 minutes from here.) He was nominated for the best actor Oscar, and won for best adapted screenplay. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend watching it although it’s pretty heavy stuff. Filmed mostly in the more rundown-looking area of town nearly 30 years ago now. (But Gary’s Slingblade is a great little drive-in where some of the scenes were filmed; great place to get a good, greasy drive-in burger, onion rings, and a shake.)
@Ashley Dixon: You made me want to live there! & go eat at Gary's Slingblade! (Thats really its name huh?!) I saw that movie👍 l am miserable in ugly hateful N.E. TX
I love watching your video. Welcome to Homestate of Arkansas! I'm from that state. I been the Benton before and it's growing in the Suburbs of Little Rock, Arkansas! It's a nice town to visit as well.
Southern Life, I wished you would have went just a few feet further @26:18.. That old building you were looking at and talking about as you were turning back around, That was the oldest building in the county. It was a home.
This town has only become more and more vibrant as the years have gone by. Lucky to have bought my first house less than a mile away from the school, very thankful to be living where I am!
If you in Benton you way up the road that's on the other side of Fayetteville in Springdale Arkansas.. all right you keep on driving you going to be up them hills and Ozarks you and Katie have fun and be safe and enjoy yourself
As a Benton native, all times I’ve been speaking to someone from out of state and when they find out where I’m from, they say “oh, Walmart headquarters?” “no.... that’s Bentonville, in NWA. I am from Benton, in central AR, the Little Rock metro area.”
It is! 47 year old Benton native here. I just randomly found this video in the RU-vid rabbit hole, and I’m literally watching them drive past my house, my grandmother’s old house, etc. in the downtown neighborhood! I’m commenting and giving lots of details, if you want to check it out.
Great video thanks for showing the older part it's Beautiful!! New doesn't impress me but the rest of the video was great. Think'n of move'n there...Thanks!!
Don’t know if you’re here yet, but welcome, if you are! I just randomly found in this video of them basically driving through my life. 😂 i’ve posted a comment if you’d like to know more-a little info regarding the mural etc. and growing up in the old downtown neighborhood.
I had a friend who lived in Benton, on Hurricane Shores. She took me swimming in the lake and introduced me to her artist friend. I'm a Londoner and was travelling through the states in 1995 and met her in a bar in Hot Springs.
As someone who grew up in Daphne, AL (suburb of Mobile, AL) who now lives in Katy, TX (suburb of Houston, TX). You are correct when you say the Hispanic population is not as prosperous in Alabama like they are in Texas. A lot of Hispanics are doing well here in Texas. In Alabama most Hispanics live in trailer parks doing construction type work making $100 a day in cash. I always wondered why they even lived in places like Alabama, doesn't seem like much of life to have.
