Clayton’s post office opened in 1860, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 56% of U.S. towns · #17 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Clayton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).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 56% of U.S. towns, #17 of 37 in Delaware. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clayton’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 Clayton’s 14.2 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Delaware towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±8.8 points). 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 Clayton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
When the Delaware Railroad built its line south from Bear, Delaware, and through Kent County in 1855, there was a fight over where to run it in relation to Smyrna. Some wanted the rail line to run on the east side of town and others on the west. Farmers located about 1.5 miles to the west of Smyrna were able to entice the Delaware to build there and the stop became known as "Smyrna Station".
In 1861 the state at first planned to, but then later decided not to, change the name of Smyrna Station to Clayton in honor of John M. Clayton who was a supporter of the railroad. Despite the failure to change the name by law, people began to call it Clayton, Delaware.
The Clayton post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Clayton rank for history?
Clayton is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #17 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 Clayton?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Enoch Jones House (listed 1973, the first), and 1 historic district, the St. Joseph's Industrial School, with 3 contributing buildings. 6 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Clayton?
16% of Clayton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.8 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Delaware town; the median home was built in 2005.
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 National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, 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.
Date?
2019
2016
2005
2004
