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History · Clayville

Clayville’s post office opened in 1848, and 73% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 18 old photos and papers and maps from 1889 on.

1848first post office
1on the National Register
73%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Clayville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Clayville began

When was Clayville founded?

1848

The Clayville post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 312178 years
Founding year: the first Clayville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Clayville’s past

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

On the map since 18897 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1970. Watch Clayville change.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers.Old housesHalf of Clayville’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsA post office since 1848: 178 years of Clayville.
★ What stands out · On the map

Clayville on the map, 1889 to 1970

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

Clayville on the 1889 USGS mapClayville on the 1894 USGS mapClayville on the 1915 USGS mapClayville on the 1921 USGS mapClayville on the 1948 USGS mapClayville on the 1955 USGS mapClayville on the 1970 USGS map1889Burrillville 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 Clayville.

By decade

Clayville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s18 items
At a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceAt a Saturday night square dance1940At a Saturday night square danceSitting one out at a Saturday night square dance1940Sitting one out at a Saturday night square danceSelling hot dogs at a Saturday night square dance1940Selling hot dogs at a Saturday night square danceUntitled photo, possibly related to: At a Saturday night square dance1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: At a Saturday ni…A Saturday night square dance run by Mr. and Mrs. Tucker1940A Saturday night square dance run by Mr. and Mrs. Tuc…Mrs. Tucker, wife of the town police chief, preparing hot dogs and coffee at a Saturday night square dance1940Mrs. Tucker, wife of the town police chief, preparing…Mr. Tucker is the police department of Clayville, Rhode Island. He runs the Saturday night dances and calls the turns f…1940Mr. Tucker is the police department of Clayville, Rho…Mr. Tucker is the police department of Clayville, Rhode Island. He runs the Saturday night dances and calls the turns f…1940Mr. Tucker is the police department of Clayville, Rho…Music for the Saturday night square dances1940Music for the Saturday night square dancesMusic for the Saturday night square dances1940Music for the Saturday night square dances
1950s–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
The story so far

Clayville, in brief

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

Clayville is a census-designated place mostly in the town of Foster, with the remainder in Scituate in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. As of the 2020 census, Clayville had a population of 312. It is the location of the Clayville Historic District.

Its first post office opened in 1848. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 300 to 312 (+4%).

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

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.

At a Saturday night square dance
Retake this viewAt a Saturday night square dance, 1940

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 48 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
48
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Clayville

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

See all →
O
Olivia CulpoAmerican model · b. 1992
Robert AldrichAmerican film director · b. 1918
Gina Raimondo40th United States Secretary of Commerce · b. 1971
Charles DowAmerican journalist · b. 1851
Donald CarcieriAmerican politician · b. 1942
Chuck PalumboAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1971
Help out

Finish Clayville’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.
Retake an old viewAt a Saturday night square dance: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Clayville’s history

What year was Clayville founded?

The Clayville post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 the Library of Congress (18) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.