More historic than 5% of U.S. towns · #242 of 261 in Maryland. What drives it
Most of Clarksburg was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2010. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clarksburg is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #242 of 261 in Maryland. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clarksburg’s overall grade.
Few Maryland towns list much on the Register (a typical Maryland town has 0.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clarksburg’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (20% of Maryland 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 (±0.5 points) is firm at this size.
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 Clarksburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Clarksburg is named for trader John Clarke, and was established at the intersection of the main road between Georgetown and Frederick and an old Seneca trail. One of its earliest white inhabitants was a man named Michael Ashford Dowden, who in 1752 received a patent for 40 acres (160,000 m2) from the colonial government called "Hammer Hill", and two years later permission to build an inn. The inn itself is a footnote in history, hosting the army of General Edward Braddock during the French and Indian War, serving as a meeting place for local Sons of Liberty in the years before the American Revolution, and possibly serving dinner to President Andrew Jackson on his way to his inauguration. Jamie, grandson of the trader, built a general store in the area around 1770, and over the next thirty years enough people moved to the area that Clark was appointed postmaster for the community. By 187…
Passages that mention Clarksburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Montgomery county, Maryland, from its earliest settlement in 1650 to 1879 ..1879 · page 94Read the page →
Read the text
Soon after completing his education he commenced the teaching of school in the old mountain school house, in the third district, afterwards he taught school iu Clarksburg and Cracklin Districts. In 1847, he was appointed Deputy Sheriff and Collector, which position he occupied until he engaged in merchandising in Damascus, in 1S52, where he successfully continued for seven years, when he purchased property in Clarksburg and removed there in 1859. By energy and enterprise, combined with strict
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
Clarksburg, 1800 to 1933
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.
Clarksburg is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns, #242 of 261 in Maryland. 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 Clarksburg?
0.6% of Clarksburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.3% for a Maryland town; the median home was built in 2010.
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), 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 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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