Benton Station received attention in 2017 for two notable events. In January, a historic bridge in the area was renamed “Bear Lawson Bridge” by the Polk County Commission in honor of William “Bear” Hinton Lawson. At a ceremony to celebrate the renaming, Polk County Executive Hoyt Firestone credited Lawson for donating land that allowed a railroad to run through the community in the early 1900s.[3]
In June 2017, the Tennessee Historic Commission designated Benton Station as a Historic Landmark.[4] Bluegrass musician Phil Lea performed at the event and announced he had written a song about the Benton Station community.
December 27, 1920. Decie Caldonia Rose, wife of Robert Henley Rose, was killed by an automobile on Benton/Cleveland pike while going for the mail. She was a member of Benton Station Baptist Church.[5] She was reportedly the first woman to be killed by an automobile in the state of Tennessee.
