Clarkson is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States, on the western border of the county and west of the city of Rochester. The population was 6,904 at the 2020 census.[4] The town is named after General Matthew Clarkson.
The area that became Clarkson originally formed the northwest corner of present-day Monroe County and from 1814 to 1819 was part of the town of Murray in Orleans County.[5] On April 2, 1819, it was set off from Murray and incorporated as the town of Clarkson, named for General Matthew Clarkson, a large landowner who donated 100 acres (40ha) of land to the town.[5][6][7] On October 11, 1852, Clarkson was divided into two towns, and its northern portion became the separate town of Union, renamed Hamlin in 1861.[5][6][7]
Land records at the Le Roy land office indicate that Moody Freeman purchased a lot in the area in 1803 and is generally regarded as Clarkson’s first settler, although it is not clear exactly when he took up residence.[5][7] In 1804 James Sayres bought land at what became Clarkson Corners on Ridge Road and was the first settler along that route; Eli Blodgett also purchased land there in the same year.[5] Additional settlers arrived during the following decade, including Simeon Daggett, John and Isaac Farewell, John Fowle, William Davis, David Stanton, Dr. Noah Owen, Benjamin Boyd, and others, and by 1810 there was a noticeable increase in settlement across the town.[5]
By the early 1810s a small commercial center had developed at the crossroads then known as Murray Corners (later Clarkson Corners). Dr. Abel Baldwin kept a public house there and later built the first frame inn, while taverns were also established at East Clarkson and along Ridge Road to the west.[5] Henry McCall opened the first store in the village and operated one of its early taverns; Isaac B. Williams built the first frame house and worked as the town’s first blacksmith; Dr. Noah Owen became the first resident physician, followed by Dr. Nathaniel Rowe; and John Bowman was the first lawyer in the town.[5] According to McIntosh, the first male child born in the town was a son of Mrs. Clarkson, while the first recorded female child was Elmira Palmer, daughter of Deacon Joel Palmer, born in 1812; he also notes a local tradition that David Moore may have been born in transit to the settlement in 1810 and thus have been the earliest birth overall.[5] Laura White is described as the first schoolteacher in Clarkson, with Charlotte Cummins teaching at about the same time.[5] Later in the nineteenth century Clarkson was home to several prominent lawyers, including Samuel L. Selden and Henry R. Selden; Henry Selden later served as a judge of the New York Court of Appeals and lieutenant governor of New York.[5]
The town’s first sawmill and gristmill were in operation by 1811; the sawmill, built by James Sayres, stood about 0.5mi (0.8km) east of Clarkson Corners.[5] For many years there was only one gristmill in Clarkson, but at least three distilleries, with additional distilleries just east of the town line in Parma.[5] A short-lived newspaper, The Jeffersonian, was first issued in June 1835 and published for about a year before ceasing after the loss of a shipment of paper needed for the next issue.[5]
During the War of 1812, settlement in Clarkson slowed, and many residents entered military service or temporarily left the area.[5] The Ridge Road was improved as a military supply route to Lewiston, and Murray Corners became a stopping place roughly halfway between Canandaigua and the Niagara frontier, serving as a rendezvous point for troops and a depot for military stores.[5] In the years after the war and before the completion of the Erie Canal, the hamlet was a local commercial center for traffic on both Ridge Road and the Lake Road from Le Roy, attracting merchants, professionals, and travelers from across western New York.[5] With the opening of the canal and, later, the construction of regional railroads such as the New York Central Railroad, commercial activity shifted toward nearby Brockport in the town of Sweden, and Clarkson’s relative commercial importance declined.[5]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Clarkson has a total area of 33.2 square miles (86km2), of which 0.005 square miles (0.013km2), or 0.02%, are water.[3]
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 6,072 people, 2,034 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 182.8 inhabitants per square mile (70.6/km2). There were 2,090 housing units at an average density of 62.9 per square mile (24.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.92% White, 2.03% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.40% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.72% of the population.
There were 2,034 households, out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,438, and the median income for a family was $58,212. Males had a median income of $41,397 versus $25,795 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,555. About 3.1% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Communities and locations
Brockport– Two small parts of the village of Brockport are in the town.
The town is governed by a Town Board consisting of a Town Supervisor and four Town Council members, all elected by registered town voters. The Supervisor serves in both the executive and legislative branch for the town. The board handels town finances and general management. [11]
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