A history of Clinton,
since 1829
Postcards, papers and photographs of Clinton from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The city was established in 1829 and is named for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York from 1817 to 1823. Many of Clinton's original settlers were immigrants working in coal mines, many from Italy. According to Vermillion County naturalization records, "...from 1856 to 1952... Vermillion County received almost 3,550 new citizens of foreign birth, the largest number coming during the first twelve years of [the 20th] century. Italians accounted for one-third, or 1,178, of the total number who filed Declarations, with Austrians the next largest group (675) and then Scots. At least 77 percent of the Italians were from the northern regions of Italy." This was in contrast to the majority of Italian immigrants to America during this same time period that hailed from southern Italy. Over time, the coal mining industry in Clinton ended but many of the Italian settlers stayed at Clinton.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Clinton’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewClinton "Happyland" Pool, 1908: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Clinton
See all 10 →
Clinton, decade by decade
CommonsClinton "Happyland" Pool1908
CommonsClinton City High School Exterior1908
CommonsClinton City High School1908
CommonsClinton High School Gymnasium1908
CommonsClinton High School1908
CommonsClinton Hotel1908
CommonsClinton Indiana Public Library1908
CommonsClinton Junior High School1908
CommonsClinton Main Street - 1800s1908
CommonsClinton Post Office1908
CommonsClinton Residential District1908
CommonsClinton Streetcar1908
CommonsFour Seasons Fountain1908
CommonsGillis Pharmacy Interior1908
CommonsGillis Pharmacy1908
CommonsHillcrest Italian Presbyterian Church1908
CommonsMain Street1908
CommonsMain Street19081990s
2 historic places in Clinton
Clinton has 2 listings on the National Register, and they protect 47 historic buildings, because Clinton Downtown Historic District alone counts 46.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Clinton "Happyland" Pool (1908) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (18). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.