Editing Clinton, New Jersey (section)

==History==
When the Clinton post office was established in 1829, it was named for [[DeWitt Clinton]], [[Governor of New York]] and the primary impetus behind the then-newly completed [[Erie Canal]].<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=10 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 28, 2015.</ref>

Clinton was incorporated as a town by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on April 5, 1865, within portions of [[Clinton Township, New Jersey|Clinton]], [[Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Franklin]] and [[Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Union]] Townships. Clinton gained full independence from its three parent townships in 1895.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 154. Accessed October 25, 2012.</ref>

The town is perhaps best known for its two mills which sit on opposite banks of the [[South Branch Raritan River]]. The [[Red Mill (Clinton, New Jersey)|Red Mill]], with its historic village, dates back to 1810 with the development of a mill for wool processing.<ref>[https://theredmill.org/203-2/ History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109101955/https://theredmill.org/203-2/ |date=November 9, 2019 }}, The Red Mill Museum. Accessed November 15, 2019. "Ralph Hunt built the earliest section of this Mill to process wool sometime around 1810. His wool business failed, however, thanks to a permanent downturn in the market for domestic cloth."</ref> Across the river sits the [[Dunham's Mill|Stone Mill]], home of the [[Hunterdon Art Museum]], located in a former [[gristmill]] that had been reconstructed in 1836 and operated continuously until 1952. In 1952, a group of local residents conceived of a plan to convert the historic building into an art museum, which is still in operation today.<ref name=ham>{{cite web |title=The Story of the Stone Mill and the Hunterdon Art Museum |url=https://hunterdonartmuseum.org/history/ |publisher=[[Hunterdon Art Museum]]}}</ref>

On October 30, 1891, a major fire destroyed 23 buildings and 17 businesses on Main Street. This is known here as the Great Fire of 1891.<ref name="nrhpdoc"/>

Described by ''[[The New York Times]]'' in 1988 as having "conquered the worst residential [[radon]] hotspot known in the United States" which resulted from [[uranium]] in the [[limestone]] under sections of the town, Clinton and mayor-at-the-time Robert A. Nulman<!--d:Q7341276--> received state, national, and international attention for the town's successful efforts to combat the radon using ventilation systems in affected homes.<ref name="Klaidman1991">[[Stephen Klaidman|Klaidman, Steve]]. [https://archive.org/details/healthinheadline00klai ''Health in the Headlines: The Stories Behind the Stories''], [[Oxford University Press]], 1991. {{ISBN|978-0-19-505298-5}}. Accessed November 15, 2019. "Clinton's public officials were aware of the extraordinary radon levels found in the Watras house in nearby Pennsylvania."</ref><ref name=NYT19880915>Hanley, Robert. [https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/15/nyregion/the-jersey-village-that-fought-radon-with-fans-and-won.html "The Jersey Village That Fought Radon With Fans and Won"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', September 15, 1988. Accessed November 15, 2019. "Mayor Nulman cringes now while recalling TV and newspaper accounts in early 1986 that predicted mass evacuations and Clinton Knolls' reduction to a ghost town."</ref><ref name=CongRec1986>{{cite book
 | title = Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ri6J3ft3PlIC
 | access-date = January 1, 2018
| year = 1986
 | publisher = U.S. Government Printing Office
 | quote = McMahon commended Clinton Town Mayor Robert Nulman for responding to the radon problem in several homes in his community by dealing with the public in an 'informational rather than inflammatory way'.
}}</ref><ref name=EPAJournal>
{{cite book
 | title =EPA Journal
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=emQhVEwz-EoC
 | year = 1989
 | publisher = The Office
 | quote = State officials relied a great deal on Clinton's mayor, Robert Nulman, because he understood the community's concerns. At public meetings Nulman provided an opportunity for "what had to be said," according to state official Donald Deieso, "and he fully supported everything we were saying." Nulman helped to keep public discussions focused on the facts. In turn, Nulman found his job easier because state officials...
 | access-date = January 1, 2018
}}</ref><ref name="EdelsteinMakofske1998">
{{cite book
 | author1 = Michael R. Edelstein
 | author2 = William J. Makofske
 | title = Radon's Deadly Daughters: Science, Environmental Policy, and the Politics of Risk
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uLLc84-XfLgC&pg=PA259
 | year = 1998
 | publisher = [[Rowman & Littlefield]]
 | isbn = 978-0-8476-8334-5
 | pages = 259–
 | quote = It is interesting to look at the converse situation, where radon is actively managed so as to avoid environmental stigma. Mayor Robert Nulman...
 | access-date = January 1, 2018
}}</ref>

The [[Clinton Historic District (Clinton, New Jersey)|Clinton Historic District]] encompassing much of the town was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1995 for its significance in architecture, commerce, engineering, industry and exploration/settlement. The district includes 270 [[contributing buildings]].<ref name="nrhpdoc">{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=95001101}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Clinton Historic District |publisher=[[National Park Service]]|first1=Ursula C. |last1=Brecknell |date=August 1994 }} With {{NRHP url|id=95001101|photos=y|title=accompanying 39 photos}}</ref>

In 1998, Republican [[New Jersey General Assembly|Assemblyman]] [[Michael Patrick Carroll]] proposed to honor former president [[Ronald Reagan]] by changing the town's name to Reagan, New Jersey, and renaming [[Clinton Township, New Jersey|Clinton Township]] to Reagan Township.<ref>[https://www.mcall.com/1998/03/15/clinton-nj-becomes-subject-of-idol-curiosity-republican-lawman-suggests-the-town-change-its-name-to-reagan-but-he-admits-an-april-fools-day-announcement-would-have-been-better-timing-for-his-joke/ "Clinton, N.J., Becomes Subject Of Idol Curiosity Republican Lawman Suggests The Town Change Its Name To Reagan. But He Admits An April Fool's Day Announcement Would Have Been Better Timing For His Joke."], ''[[The Morning Call]]'', March 15, 1998. Accessed March 27, 2024.</ref>