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History · Clarksburg

Clarksburg dates to 1817, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1880.

1817founded
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Clarksburg began

When was Clarksburg founded?

1817

Clarksburg dates its founding to 1817 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 308 in 18802020 census: 409209 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1827.The full story ↓

What stands out about Clarksburg’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 Clarksburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 558 in 1910; 409 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19114 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1974. Watch Clarksburg change.Old housesHalf of Clarksburg’s homes were built before 1948.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Clarksburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clarksburg’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

Clarksburg, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 558

Peaked at 558 in 1910; 409 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the map

Clarksburg on the map, 1911 to 1974

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

Clarksburg on the 1911 USGS mapClarksburg on the 1943 USGS mapClarksburg on the 1961 USGS mapClarksburg on the 1974 USGS map1911Era 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 Clarksburg.

The story

How Clarksburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Clarksburg.

Read it all →

The first permanent settlement at Clarksburg was founded circa 1800. Clarksburg was platted in 1817 by George Clark, and named for him.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Clarksburg in 1917

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

Ohio Militia, equipping his regiment almost entirely at his own expense, and never being reimbursed by the Government. He resumed farming and tanning at the close of the war, and in 1816 laid out, on his own farm, the Village of Clarksburg. He was active in public affairs, serving many years as jus…
a standard history of ross county ohio1917 · page 551Read the page →
Read the text

Ohio Militia, equipping his regiment almost entirely at his own expense, and never being reimbursed by the Government. He resumed farming and tanning at the close of the war, and in 1816 laid out, on his own farm, the Village of Clarksburg. He was active in public affairs, serving many years as justice of the peace, and his death, August 10, 1824, was a loss to the entire community. The maiden name of the wife of Colonel Clark was Keturah Brown. Her father, James Brown, a wealthy landholder and slave owner of Maryland, for many years

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Oscar M. Howser grew up in Ross County, attended the district schools and found his first regular occupation as a traveling salesman for the Hocking Valley Manufacturing Company. In 1860 he located at Clarksburg, and with the exception of the two years on the road as a salesman has been a resident …
a standard history of ross county ohio1917 · page 816Read the page →
Read the text

Oscar M. Howser grew up in Ross County, attended the district schools and found his first regular occupation as a traveling salesman for the Hocking Valley Manufacturing Company. In 1860 he located at Clarksburg, and with the exception of the two years on the road as a salesman has been a resident there ever since. Business and public duties of various kinds have occupied his time and attention, and he is now vice president of the Clarksburg Commercial Bank.

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

Clarksburg, 1817 to 1958

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1817
    FoundingClarksburg is established
  3. 1827Post officeThe Clarksburg post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 558
  6. 1911On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1958Born hereCindy Noble is born here
By decade

Clarksburg, decade by decade

Today16 recent
Map of Ross County Ohio Highlighting Clarksburg Village2015Map of Ross County Ohio Highlighting Clarksburg Villa…MapClarksburgOH92013ClarksburgOH9ClarksburgOH82013ClarksburgOH8ClarksburgOH72013ClarksburgOH7ClarksburgOH62013ClarksburgOH6ClarksburgOH52013ClarksburgOH5ClarksburgOH42013ClarksburgOH4ClarksburgOH32013ClarksburgOH3ClarksburgOH22013ClarksburgOH2ClarksburgOH12013ClarksburgOH1Guy Zurmehly, Jr. Memorial Park2012Guy Zurmehly, Jr. Memorial ParkGuy Zurmehly Memorial Park2012Guy Zurmehly Memorial ParkClarksburg central business district2012Clarksburg central business districtCindy Noble2012Cindy NobleUntitled photo2007Untitled photoOHMap-doton-Clarksburg2004OHMap-doton-Clarksburg

Questions about Clarksburg’s history

What year was Clarksburg founded?

In 1817, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Clarksburg’s post office opened in 1827, and the census of 1880 counted 308 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 (16), 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.