Clayton dates to 1857, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns · #312 of 847 in California. What drives it
Most of Clayton was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Its Register listing is the Clayton Vineyards-DeMartini Winery. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1970.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1861.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clayton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clayton is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #312 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clayton’s overall grade.
Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clayton’s 0.9 sits above most of its state (75% of California towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1857.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Clayton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1857, the town of Clayton was laid out and founded by Joel Henry Clayton (1812–1872) and his two younger brothers. Clayton was born in Bugsworth, now Buxworth, in the United Kingdom, and emigrated to the United States in 1837. After years in other states he settled down with his wife Margaret (1820–1908) at his town at the foot of Mount Diablo, where he and his family prospered. Clayton was named after Joel Henry Clayton, although only by the flip of a coin. Joel Clayton and Charles Rhine cofounded the town, and each wanted to name it after himself. If Charles had won it would have become Rhinesville, but Joel Clayton won. Joel and his wife Margaret both died in Clayton, and were buried in Live Oak Cemetery in what is now Concord, CA.
Passages that mention Clayton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Contra Costa County, California1926 · page 171Read the page →
Read the text
CLAYTON The village of Clayton, located at the base of Mount Diablo, at the head of Diablo Valley, was named after Joel Clayton and was started in 1857, when he laid out one street and platted a few lots on either side. The prospecting for coal was the primary reason of founding a settlement. W. K. Taylor surveyed the site in 1858. The first house erected on the present site of the town was built in 1857 by Romero Mauvais, who erected a building and opened a tavern. This latter became the site
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Contra Costa County, California1917 · page 11Read the page →
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Briones the Briones Rancho. Each of these persons made application to the Government for a grant of land; Valencia for three-fourths of a league, and the others for three leagues each. Briones was soon afterward killed by the Indians, near where the town of Clayton now is, while himself and some of his neighbors were attempting to recover some stock which had been stolen by the Indians, and which they were driving toward the San Joaquin plains. During the same year Silvio Pacheco founded the Monte del Diablo Rancho, and settled where the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Contra Costa County, California, including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description1882 · page 113Read the page →
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year 1828 when Valencia occupied the Acalanes Bancho, (at Lafayette), Felipe Briones the rancho which bears his name, and Moraga the Bedwood Bancho, or Lagunas Palos Colorados. Soon after locating, however, Briones was slain near where now stands the town of Clayton by some Indians, who had made their way from the San Joaquin plain on a predatory expedition for horses, some of which they were driving away. Salvio Pacheco, during this year, came to the Bancho Monte del Diablo, and established himself near where the village of Concord has since sprung, where
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Contra Costa County, California, including its geography, geology, topography, climatography and description1882 · page 469Read the page →
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Township Ntimber Four. 469 and was highly esteemed. Once more we have to chronicle the devastations of the fiery fiend. On February 28, 1864, the little town of Clayton was almost blotted out of existence. Two hotels and several other places of business were destroyed to the amount of about fifteen thousand dollarsj the whole property lost being uninsured. In the year 1865, or perhaps earlier, a school was opened on the site of the present building, in Somersville, and was taught by T. A. Talleyrand. The following year, 1866, saw a
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Clayton, 1857 to 1991
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1857, according to Wikidata. Clayton’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1970 counted 1,385 people here.
How does Clayton rank for history?
Clayton is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #312 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Clayton?
One place: the Clayton Vineyards-DeMartini Winery (listed 1984).
How old are the homes in Clayton?
2% of Clayton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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