The Founding of Clinton
The earliest settlers on this site had arrived by 1834. Peter Vanderburgh opened a tavern north of here at the junction of the London and Huron Roads, and Jonas Gibbings began farming to the east. 'The Corners' grew slowly until William Rattenbury purchased three corners of the intersection and laid out a town plot. In 1852 a post office was opened and named Clinton, reportedly after Lord Clinton on whose English estate Rattenbury's father lived. Economic development was stimulated by the arrival of the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway in 1858 and an increased U.S. demand for agricultural products during the Civil War. Clinton became an incorporated village in 1858, and a town in 1875.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.