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B−History
History · Clinton Township

26% of Clinton Township’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns · #361 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it

Below: 20 old photos and papers and maps from 1959 on.

0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
20old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Clinton Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Clinton Township’s history

How historic is Clinton Township?

B−

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Clinton Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clinton Township is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #361 of 593 in Indiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clinton Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraThe records don’t settle when Clinton Township was founded, so age is left out of this grade–Homes built before 194026.3% of homes (±6.5) · typical IN town 14.4% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IN town 7.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 53%
NewerOlder
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 39%

Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clinton Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.5 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Clinton Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in old photos20 old photos, postcards and papers.
★ What stands out · By decade

Clinton Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s20 items
Bowling. Clinton, Indiana1940Bowling. Clinton, IndianaDiner. Clinton, Indiana1940Diner. Clinton, IndianaGirl bowling. Clinton, Indiana1940Girl bowling. Clinton, IndianaBowling alley. Clinton, Indiana1940Bowling alley. Clinton, IndianaPlaying pool. Clinton, Indiana1940Playing pool. Clinton, IndianaTruck driver in diner. Clinton, Indiana1940Truck driver in diner. Clinton, IndianaGroup at pinball machine. Clinton, Indiana1940Group at pinball machine. Clinton, IndianaChoosing ball. Bowling alley1940Choosing ball. Bowling alleyKeeping score. Bowling alley1940Keeping score. Bowling alleyGirl in bowling alley. Clinton, Indiana1940Girl in bowling alley. Clinton, IndianaBoys in pool parlor. Clinton, Indiana1940Boys in pool parlor. Clinton, IndianaPin boy in bowling alley. Clinton, Indiana1940Pin boy in bowling alley. Clinton, IndianaWatching the game. Bowling alley1940Watching the game. Bowling alleyHigh school students playing pool. Clinton, Indiana1940High school students playing pool. Clinton, IndianaUntitled photo, possibly related to: Bowling. Clinton, Indiana1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowling. Clinton…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Girl bowling. Clinton, Indiana1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Girl bowling. Cl…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowling alley. Clinton, Indiana1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowling alley. C…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Girl in bowling alley. Clinton, Indiana1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Girl in bowling …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Keeping score. Bowling alley1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Keeping score. B…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Pin boy in bowling alley. Clinton, Indiana1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Pin boy in bowli…
1950s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
The story so far

Clinton Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Clinton Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Clinton Township is one of sixteen townships in Elkhart County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,870, up from 4,624 at the previous census. According to the 2020 "ACS 5-Year Estimates Data Profiles", 41.4% of the township's population spoke only English, while 57.2 spoke an "other [than Spanish] Indo-European language" (basically Pennsylvania German/German).

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,624 to 4,870 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the map

Clinton Township on the map in 1959

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clinton Township.

Clinton Township on the 1959 USGS map1959Millersburg sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Clinton Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Bowling. Clinton, Indiana
Retake this viewBowling. Clinton, Indiana, 1940

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Clinton Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Clinton Township

Nobody well known was born in Clinton Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Howard HawksAmerican film director, producer and screenwrit… · b. 1896
Dwight H. GreenAmerican politician · b. 1897
James CarewAmerican stage and film actor · b. 1876
Kate BolduanAmerican broadcast journalist · b. 1983
Philip ProctorAmerican actor · b. 1940
K
Kenneth HawksAmerican film director · b. 1898
Help out

Finish Clinton Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBowling. Clinton, Indiana: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Benton Township1 historic placeA−Elkhart Township7 historic placesA−Middlebury TownshipIts storyB−Eden TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about Clinton Township’s history

How does Clinton Township rank for history?

Clinton Township is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #361 of 593 in Indiana. 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.

How old are the homes in Clinton Township?

26% of Clinton Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1980.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 the Library of Congress (20), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.