12 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Clermont, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 45 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1791.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Clermont’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clermont is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clermont’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clermont’s 305 sits above most of its state (87% of New York towns have fewer) while its 63 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1728.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.1 points).
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 Clermont’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
"Clermont" was originally one of the oldest of the great estates of the mid-Hudson valley. The Clermont Manor was established in 1728, in what is now the town of Clermont. The manor was originally part of the 160,000-acre (650 km2) Livingston Manor; Clermont was a 13,000-acre (53 km2) section in the southwest corner that was bequeathed to Robert Livingston, a younger son. His descendants would come to own more than 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) in the Catskill Mountains and more than 100,000 acres (400 km2) in Dutchess County.
Passages that mention Clermont, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878 · page 269Read the page →
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1858. — The act annexing a portion of Clermont to Germantown was pa.ssed by the Legislature, March 2, 1858. The descriptive clause is as follows : " All that part of the town of Clermont in the County of Columbia lying northerly of the south line of the town of Germantown, in said County, to be extended easterly to the Roeloff" Jansen's Kill, so as to embrace all the territory lying Northerly of said extended line, from the Hudson river to the RoeloflF Jansen
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878 · page 264Read the page →
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The town is situated upon the Hudson river, in the southern part of the county, and was originally a tract taken from the Livingston manor, in such a form as to leave the town of Clermont to extend entirely around Germantown except on the west. In later years a portion of Clermont, on the north side of Germantown, was annexed, and it is evident that still another addition might be made consistent with the convenience of the inhabitants and the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Anniversary of American commerce1909 · page 428Read the page →
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The full list of steamboats enrolled at the New York customhouse between 1808, the second enrollment of the “Clermont,” and 1820, covers but six vessels, viz: “North River of Clermont,” May 14, 1808; “Car of Neptune,” 1808, one hundred and seventy-five feet by twenty-four feet by
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
Clermont, 1728 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1728, according to Wikidata. Clermont’s post office opened in 1791, and the census of 1820 counted 1,164 people here.
How does Clermont rank for history?
Clermont is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns. 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 Clermont?
12 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Clermont (a National Historic Landmark since 1972), and 2 historic districts, the Clermont Civic Historic District and the Clermont Estates Historic District, with 45 contributing buildings. 63 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Clermont?
20% of Clermont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.1 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (12), 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 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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