history of Clinton is an interesting one...
The
While Laurens County was established in 1785, the town of Clinton was not laid out until almost twenty-five years later. The roots of the town can be traced back to 1809, when a post office was established at Holland's Store, the only source of store-bought goods in the eastern part of the county. Approximately a mile west of the store was the intersection of several major roads; this area later became a railroad terminal, and was named "Five Points." When a small group of citizens drew up the original plan of the town in 1852, they changed the settlement's name to "Clinton" in honor of Laurens lawyer Henry Clinton Young. While no battles were fought in and around Clinton, the Civil War impoverished the town. It was not until the 1870s that progress was made; the next thirty years would see the establishment of Thornwell Orphanage (1875), Presbyterian College (1880), the Bailey Bank (1886) and Clinton Cotton Mills (1896). Rev. William Plumer Jacobs, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, and businessman Mercer Silas Bailey were instrumental in spearheading these early ventures. Clinton was not officially chartered by the state until 1890. Other milestones in the town's history include the founding of the Clinton Chronicle (1900), Lydia Cotton Mills (1902), Jacobs Press (1904), and Whitten Village (1918).
~ Nancy Griffith
Special Collections LibrarianPresbyterian College
Presbyterian College
Horseshoe Falls at Musgrove State Park
The Clinton Museum
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Downtown Clinton Association at work...
For more information on how the Downtown Clinton Association can promote your business, please contact Dianne Wyatt at City Hall.
