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Clayton Michigan State StreetPhoto: Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0
–Not graded
History · Clayton

Clayton dates to 1836, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1962 on, and the census since 1880.

1836founded
0on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Clayton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Clayton began

When was Clayton founded?

1836

Clayton dates its founding to 1836 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 368 in 18802020 census: 311190 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓

What stands out about Clayton’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Clayton’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 505 in 1970; 311 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1836: 190 years of Clayton.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Clayton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewClayton, MI location: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Clayton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Clayton.

Read it all →

The community was first settled in 1836 and named East Dover due to its location in eastern Dover Township. A post office began operating in East Dover on March 8, 1837, with Levi Soper serving as the first postmaster. Rueben Bird platted the community in 1843, and he had the post office name changed to Clayton on July 17, 1849, after his friend Reverend Clayton from New York. Clayton was incorporated as a village in 1870.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Clayton, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 505

Peaked at 505 in 1970; 311 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Clayton in 1879

Passages that mention Clayton, cut from the printed page as they were published.

passed over the road. Subsequently he, with his brother Patrick, and Daniel Clark, took a contract to build three miles of road-bed for the Michigan Southern railroad, two miles east and one mile west of Clayton. Michael did not stay until the job was
History and biographical record of Lenawee County, Michigan. Containing a history of the organization and early settlement of the county, together with a biographical record of many of the oldest and most prominent settlers and present residents, obtained1879 · page 452Read the page →
Read the text

passed over the road. Subsequently he, with his brother Patrick, and Daniel Clark, took a contract to build three miles of road-bed for the Michigan Southern railroad, two miles east and one mile west of Clayton. Michael did not stay until the job was

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

Clayton, 1836 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836
    FoundingClayton is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1962On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 505
By decade

Clayton, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Clayton, MI locationDate?Clayton, MI location
Today7 recent
Clayton, MI welcome sign2022Clayton, MI welcome signClayton, MI town hall and library2022Clayton, MI town hall and libraryClayton, MI post office 20222022Clayton, MI post office 2022Clayton (Lenawee County), Michigan (location)2018Clayton (Lenawee County), Michigan (location)US Post Office2010US Post OfficeM-156 Michigan Highway northern terminus2010M-156 Michigan Highway northern terminusClayton Michigan State Street2010Clayton Michigan State Street
On the map

Clayton on the map, 1962 to 1979

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

Clayton on the 1962 USGS mapClayton on the 1979 USGS map1962Clayton 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 Clayton.

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.

Clayton, MI location
Retake this viewClayton, MI location

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Clayton

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

See all →
Christine GregoireAmerican politician · b. 1947
Norman Bel GeddesAmerican theatrical and industrial designer · b. 1893
W
William James BealAmerican botanist · b. 1833
Joseph Beal SteereAmerican ornithologist · b. 1842
John Randolph BrayAnimator · b. 1879
Kirk BailyAmerican actor · b. 1963

Questions about Clayton’s history

What year was Clayton founded?

In 1836, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Clayton’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 368 people here.

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 (8), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.