Clinton dates to 1740, and 13 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #49 of 290 in North Carolina. What drives it
Most of Clinton was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. 13 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 133 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1794.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clinton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clinton is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #49 of 290 in North Carolina. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clinton’s overall grade.
North Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical North Carolina town has 12.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clinton’s 179 sits above most of its state (83% of North Carolina towns have fewer) while its 149 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1740.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size.
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 Clinton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settlers came to the Clinton area around 1740. The community was originally known as Clinton Courthouse. There was an earlier incorporated town of Clinton elsewhere in the state; however, that town folded in 1822 and Clinton was incorporated as a town in the same year. In 1852, the General Assembly passed several acts to improve regulation of towns, including Clinton. As part of the "Act for the Better Regulation of the Town of Clinton in the County of Sampson," the General Assembly appointed five commissioners: James Moseley, Isaac Boykin, Dr. Henry Bizzel, John Beaman, and Alfred Johnson. The corporate limits of the town at that time extended a half mile each way from the courthouse. The first records of an election were in February 1852 and the first tax rate was $0.50 per $100 valuation of real property. In July 1953, the town became a city.
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.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Clinton’s post office has been open since 1824. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Sampson Court House
1794–1811
Clinton
1824–today
Spring Vale
1845–1870
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Johnsontown
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Clinton
SandhillsSpringdale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Clinton’s history
What year was Clinton founded?
In 1740, according to Wikidata. Clinton’s post office opened in 1794, and the census of 1860 counted 209 people here.
How does Clinton rank for history?
Clinton is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #49 of 290 in North Carolina. 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 Clinton?
13 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Graves-Stewart House (listed 1983, the first), and 3 historic districts, the College Street Historic District, the West Main-North Chesnutt Streets Historic District and the Clinton Commercial Historic District, with 133 contributing buildings. 149 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Clinton?
3% of Clinton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 4.1% for a North Carolina town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (13), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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