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History · Clarksville

Clarksville dates to 1853

Most of Clarksville was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1989 on and the census since 1840.

1853founded
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Dmoore5556 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Clarksville began

When was Clarksville founded?

1853

Clarksville dates its founding to 1853 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 88 in 18402020 census: 294173 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓

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.Boom and bustPeaked at 410 in 1920; 294 people lived here in 2020.
★ 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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People over time

Clarksville, census by census

01002003004001850190019502000Peak: 410

Peaked at 410 in 1920; 294 people lived here in 2020.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

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

The story

How Clarksville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Clarksville.

Read it all →

The area was originally known as "Dartmouth College Grant" and was part of a tract granted to Dartmouth College; sections were sold off by the college to raise money. It was purchased by Benjamin Clark of Boston and Joseph Murdock of Norwich, Vermont. The first census taken was in 1830, at which time there were 88 residents. It was incorporated in 1853, and renamed Clarksville in 1872 for the Clark family.

In the late 19th century, major industries included starch and maple sugar. Logging companies have been the primary employers in town for many years.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Clarksville, 1853 to 1989

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1853
    FoundingClarksville is established
  3. 1854Post officeThe Clarksville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1913Post officeThe Clarksville post office closes
  6. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 410
  7. 1989On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Clarksville, decade by decade

Today8 recent
New Hampshire Route 145 in2019New Hampshire Route 145 inClarksvilleNH TownHall2016ClarksvilleNH TownHallClarksvilleNH School2016ClarksvilleNH SchoolClarksvilleNH OldMeetingHall2016ClarksvilleNH OldMeetingHallShehan Flowage2015Shehan FlowageShehan Flowage - panoramio (1)2015Shehan Flowage - panoramio (1)Judd Pond(s)2015Judd Pond(s)Judd Pond2015Judd Pond
On the map

Clarksville on the map in 1989

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clarksville.

Clarksville on the 1989 USGS map1989Pittsburg 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 Clarksville.

Famous people

Famous people close to Clarksville

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

See all →
Rudy ValléeAmerican singer, actor, and entertainer · b. 1901
Horace TaborAmerican politician · b. 1830
Porter H. DaleAmerican politician · b. 1867
Irving W. DrewAmerican politician · b. 1845
Chester B. JordanAmerican politician · b. 1839
Fred N. CummingsAmerican politician · b. 1864
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Clarksville had its own post office from 1854 to 1913.

Clarksville
1854–1913
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Clarksville Pond SchoolschoolHarry Davis CamplocalePerry SchoolschoolShehan CamplocaleStanton SchoolschoolYoung Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Pittsburg1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStewartstownIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Clarksville’s history

What year was Clarksville founded?

In 1853, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Clarksville’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1840 counted 88 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), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.