Established in 1836, Clinton was named after New York Governor Dewitt Clinton, a proponent of the Erie Canal. Its first structure was a hotel/bar built of logs on the northeast corner of the square in 1837. Today’s town center looks vastly different. In 2007, the Clinton Square Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area features 85 buildings of Victorian and Italianate style
spread over about 10 blocks. The jewel of downtown is the Henry County Courthouse crafted from limestone in 1893. The historic district includes the courthouse square and properties facing Main Street on the east, Jefferson on the south, Washington on the west and Franklin on the north. The buildings in the district are primarily one- or two-story brick buildings with flat roofs constructed between 1885 and 1950 with a
few predating this period. Most are deep and share walls with neighboring buildings. Since 1989, Clinton Main Street Inc. has worked to preserve and revitalize the historic district. Many facades have been renovated in that time.