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History · Clarksville

Clarksville’s post office opened in 1875, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1930.

1875first post office
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: JessicaVz · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Clarksville began

When was Clarksville founded?

1875

The Clarksville post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 284 in 19302020 census: 411151 years
Founding year: the first Clarksville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Clarksville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Clarksville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19163 editions of the USGS map, 1916 to 1978. Watch Clarksville change.Old housesHalf of Clarksville’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Clarksville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clarksville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Clarksville on the map, 1916 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clarksville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Clarksville on the 1916 USGS mapClarksville on the 1943 USGS mapClarksville on the 1978 USGS map1916Ionia sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story so far

Clarksville, in brief

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

Clarksville is a village in Ionia County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, Clarksville had a population of 411. The village is within Campbell Township. The Clarksville ZIP code 48815 serves the northern portion of the township as well the southern portion of Boston Township and small portions of Odessa Township on the east and Bowne Township in Kent County on the west. The biggest thing to happen in Clarksville since 1992 is the opening of a Dollar General store in 2020.

Its first post office opened in 1875. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 394 to 411 (+4%).

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

By decade

Clarksville, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Clarksville MI on a fall day2019Clarksville MI on a fall dayMIMap-doton-Clarksville2005MIMap-doton-Clarksville
People over time

Clarksville, census by census

010020030040019401960198020002020Peak: 411

Between 284 and 411 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Clarksville’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Clarksville’s history

What year was Clarksville founded?

The Clarksville post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.