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C+History
History · Clarks Green

Clarks Green was first counted by the census in 1880, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 44% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1950 on, and the census since 1880.

1880first census
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Clarks Green’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Clarks Green began

When was Clarks Green founded?

1880

Clarks Green first appears in the census in 1880.

First census: 207 in 18802020 census: 1,524146 years

How historic is Clarks Green?

C+

More historic than 44% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first census.
History grade

What drives Clarks Green’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clarks Green is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clarks Green’s overall grade.
Founding era1880, from the first census: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194023.7% of homes (±6.9) · typical PA town 17.7% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical PA town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 44%
NewerOlder

Pennsylvania towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Pennsylvania town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clarks Green’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (25% of Pennsylvania towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.9 points).

Founding year: the first census (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 Clarks Green’s past

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

A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers.Mystery photos6 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.Old housesHalf of Clarks Green’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · By decade

Clarks Green, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s9 items
HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 0 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 0 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 1 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 1 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 2 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 2 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 3 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 3 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 4 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 4 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 5 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 5 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 6 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 6 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 7 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 7 of 8) - Lemuel Stone HouseHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 8 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House1933HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 8 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown6 to date
Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Photographer August 27, 1936 DININGROOM MANTEL. - William Clark Hous…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Photographer August 27, 1936 EAST VIEW (EXTERIOR). - William Clark H…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Photographer August 27, 1936 LIVINGROOM MANTEL. - William Clark Hous…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Photographer August 27, 1936 MAIN STAIRS. - William Clark House, Abi…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Photographer August 27, 1936 NORTHEAST DOORWAY. - William Clark Hous…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Photographer August 27, 1936 NORTHEAST ELEVATION (EXTERIOR). - Willi…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey, Stanley Jones, Ph…
Today3 recent
Clarks Green, PA Masonic Lodge, April 20252025Clarks Green, PA Masonic Lodge, April 2025Clarks Green, PA Borough Offices, April 20252025Clarks Green, PA Borough Offices, April 2025House in2015House in
Help out

Finish Clarks Green’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo6 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 0 of 8) - Lemu…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Clarks Green, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Clarks Green yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Clarks Green is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 1,529 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,476 to 1,524 (+3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the map

Clarks Green on the map, 1950 to 1962

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

Clarks Green on the 1950 USGS mapClarks Green on the 1962 USGS map1950Scranton sheet · 1:250,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Clarks Green.

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.

HABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 0 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House
Retake this viewHABS PA,35-WAV,2- (sheet 0 of 8) - Lemuel Stone House, 1933

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Clarks Green, census by census

05001,0001,5002,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,862

Between 207 and 1,862 people in every census since 1880.

12 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Clarks Green

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

See all →
Howard GardnerAmerican developmental psychologist & academic · b. 1943
Jane JacobsAmerican–Canadian journalist, author, and activ… · b. 1916
Lizabeth ScottAmerican actress and singer · b. 1921
Robert ReichAmerican political economist · b. 1946
Mike J. DunleavyGovernor of Alaska since 2018 · b. 1961
Bob CaseyAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1960
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Clarks SummitIts storyC+South Abington TownshipIts storyCWaverly Township1 historic placeA−

Questions about Clarks Green’s history

What year was Clarks Green founded?

The Clarks Green post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1914.

How does Clarks Green rank for history?

Clarks Green is more historic than 44% 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.

How old are the homes in Clarks Green?

24% of Clarks Green’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 18% for a Pennsylvania town; the median home was built in 1959.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.