Battle of Athens ~ The Benning House
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 40° 35.159 W 091° 41.759
15T E 610354 N 4493615
Quick Description: This house, called by locals the cannonball house, is also a museum that can be viewed by appointment.
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/25/2009 8:24:52 AM
Waymark Code: WM7GXG
Views: 1
Long Description:
Marker Erected by: Missouri Department of Natural
Resources.
County of Marker: Clark County.
Location of Marker: MO-CC, Battle of Athens State Historic Site,
(St. Louis St. & Virginia St.), Athens.
Marker Text:
The Benning House
Built about 1843 by Arthur Thome, an immigrant from Kentucky and
owner of Athens' first grist mill, this house was acquired by
Joseph Benning on the eve of the Civil War. A cannonball fired from
the artillery of the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard hit the
Benning house, perhaps inadvertently, during the August 5, 1861,
Battle of Athens.
J.M. Miller, local merchant and soldier in the Union Home Guard,
commented on the marksmanship of the artillerists: "...they had
a fine chance at us but owing to the unskillfulness of their
gunners or some other cause their cannons failed to kill or cripple
a single man."
The point of the cannonball's impact can be seen near the trim
on the single door's left side. The cannonball passed directly
through the house and exited through the kitchen wall.
The house is being restored under the direction of the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources. Funding for the restoration has
been made possible through the passage of the statewide bond
issue.