Claymont’s post office opened in 1853, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #21 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
Most of Claymont was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. 7 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 24 buildings. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 2000.
The Claymont post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Naaman's Creek (1812), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 9,220 in 20002020 census: 9,895173 years
How historic is Claymont?
B−
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Claymont post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Claymont’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Claymont is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #21 of 37 in Delaware. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Claymont’s overall grade.
Delaware towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Delaware town has 29.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Claymont’s 39.8 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 35 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% 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 (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Claymont’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans Creek where it empties into the Delaware River. This once rich ecosystem has been occupied steadily since before 1200 A.D. and has undergone numerous cultural and economic changes, most of which are still evident in the architecture and living patterns of the community today. The first residents were aboriginal Indians of the Middle Woodland period (1100–1600 B.C.). Evidence of these early dwellers has been found along both sides of Naamans Creek.
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.
The Claymont post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Claymont rank for history?
Claymont is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #21 of 37 in Delaware. 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 Claymont?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Robinson House (listed 1971, the first), and 1 historic district, the Hickman Row, with 24 contributing buildings. 35 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Claymont?
8% of Claymont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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