Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register. Below: old-book passages.
The Clinton post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clinton is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
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 Clinton’s 49.0 sits above most of its state (88% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
Founding year: the first post office (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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clinton’s history is told.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Clinton yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Its first post office opened in 1843. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,154 to 2,221 (+3%).
Passages that mention Clinton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
M. G. WEAVER, farmer, Sec. 8; P. 0. Clinton; born in Clinton July 9, 1842; son of Griswold Weaver, who came to Clinton in 1837, from Utica, N. Y.; settled on what is now the northwest part of the town of Clinton ; he was one of the founders of that town ; he kept hotel at Clinton Corners ; .was there till the railroad was built, then moved to Clinton proper and went into lumber business and buyinj; grain ; was successful ; he died December, 1872 ; was one of the most respected and liberal of citizens.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The village of Clinton in the town of Clinton became incorporated on January 21, 1882, under the general statutes. The village of Orfordville in the town of Spring Valley became incorporated on June 30, 1900, under the general statutes.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
provided that eleven square miles of the territory of Warren county lying upon the eastern boundary of the county of Warren, and extending parallel to the said eastern boundary line along the whole length of it from north to south, should be and the same were attached to and made a part of the county of Clinton; and it was made the duty of the surveyor of Ross county, within thirty days after being notified by the commissioners of Clinton county, to proceed and survey and set off to the county of Clinton the eieveu square miles as aforesaid, by running a straight line from north to south through the county of Warren, parallel to the eastern boundary thereof, a strip about
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
12S. Tor the benefit of the readers, the following description is given: "State of Ohio. Clinton County, ss. : "('IF,. S. I. He It remembered that before me, the subscriber, one of the Justices of the Peace in and for the county of Clinton, personally appeared James McMauis, Director for Clinton County, and proprietor of the land contained within tbe bounds of the lown of Clinton, as conveyed to said James McManls in trust for the use and behoof of said county, and produced the within plat, which he acknowledged to be an accurate plat of said town of Clinton, and that Nos. 58 and 73 (as marked
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nobody well known was born in Clinton itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Clinton post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Clinton is more historic than 92% 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.
9 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Richardson-Brinkman Cobblestone House (listed 1977, the first), and 1 structure. 10 historic buildings in all.
27% of Clinton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1969.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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.
