Editing Clayton, Indiana (section)

==History==
In 1829 a little town in [[Liberty Township, Hendricks County, Indiana|Liberty Township]] was named "Clayville", honoring [[Henry Clay]], the [[Kentucky]] statesman. In 1835, Clayville consisted of ten houses and 43 people. The Town of Clayville was platted in 1851 by George W. Wills.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__Gw3AQAAMAAJ | title=History of Hendricks County, Indiana: Her People, Industries and Institutions | publisher=B.F. Bowen | author=Hadley, John Vestal | year=1914 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__Gw3AQAAMAAJ/page/n88 85]}}</ref> The name was changed to "Clayton" in 1858 because another Clayville already existed in [[Dubois County, Indiana|Dubois County]].

The first two houses in Clayton were built by Thomas Potts and Lewis T. Pounds, and Parker & Foote was the first store. George Wills built the first hotel, and John Miles and James Worrell developed the first flouring mill. The first train passed through in 1852. By the early 1900s, the town had electric service, supplied by the Danville Light, Heat and Power Co.

The first schoolhouse built in Clayton was erected in 1867. In the spring of 1868, Howard Mitchell started a subscription school in the new building. The first high school of the township was built in nearby [[Cartersburg, Indiana|Cartersburg]] in 1897. In the fall of 1901 the high school was transferred to Clayton, which made it nearer the middle of the township and the center of the school population.

In 1909 the town was incorporated and had a population of 497.