Clewiston dates to 1920, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #168 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Most of Clewiston was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1971 on, and the census since 1940.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1922.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clewiston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clewiston is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #168 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clewiston’s overall grade.
Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clewiston’s 15.0 sits above most of its state (86% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 11 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1920.
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 Clewiston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Clewiston Trailer ParkEverglades Mobile Home ParkFairgrounds Mobile Home ParkKites Nest Mobile Home ParkRoyal Palm Trailer ParkSugarland Mobile Home ParkVentura Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Clewiston Airportairport
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the National Register
7 historic places in Clewiston
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The area beside Lake Okeechobee was once used as a fishing camp by the Seminole tribe. The first permanent settlement began in 1920, when John O'Brien of Philadelphia and Alonzo Clewis (1864-1944) of Tampa purchased a large tract of land to establish a town. They commissioned a town plan and built the Moore Haven & Clewiston Railway to connect the community to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad at Moore Haven. Incorporated as a city in 1925, Clewiston would become noted for its sport fishing, particularly of largemouth bass.
In 1920, according to Wikidata. Clewiston’s post office opened in 1922, and the census of 1940 counted 1,338 people here.
How does Clewiston rank for history?
Clewiston is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #168 of 638 in Florida. 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 Clewiston?
7 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Clewiston Inn (listed 1991, the first). 11 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Clewiston?
2% of Clewiston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.3 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (16), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1926
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
1939
