On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clayton is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #204 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Clayton’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Clayton’s 4.5 sits above most of its state (65% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Clayton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Due to annexations by Fox Crossing, Wisconsin, Clayton sued Fox Crossing in late 2017 and was subsequently sued by the village for a wastewater collection settlement with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The town reached a water deal with the city of Appleton in 2018 but negotiated with Fox Crossing for a new deal in 2020, paying the village $11.5 million in exchange for sewer and water in addition to an agreement not to annex any part of the town for ten years.
In 2018, town leaders began incorporation efforts into a village for eastern portions of the town in order to avoid being annexed by Fox Crossing.
Passages that mention Clayton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest1880 · page 122Read the page →
Read the text
off and organized. (See Vinland.) On the twenty-first of the same month an act was approved setting off and organizing the Town of Clayton, and on March 22, re-organizing the towns of Winnebago and Brighton. November 7, 1849, the Town of Nepeuskun was set off from Rushford, (see Nepeuskun) and organized by the County Board in pur-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest1880 · page 212Read the page →
Read the text
Mr. J. B. Russell, the enterprising proprietor, came from St. Lawrence County, New York, his native place, to the town of Clayton, in this county, in the spring of 1851, where he settled on a new farm, which he improved and on which he lived till 1868, when he moved to the village of Neenah, where he has since resided.
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
Clayton, 1892 to 1961
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Clayton is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #204 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Clayton?
Two places: the Larson Brothers Airport (listed 1984) and the Whiting, Frank, Boathouse (2011).
How old are the homes in Clayton?
7% of Clayton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
