Rich in History

Eagle Point Park in Clinton County reminds us of times long ago / Photo courtesy of Clinton Convention & Visitors Bureau

By B.J. Smith

Most counties in Iowa have had one county seat. Two at the most. Not this one.
First was Camanche, on the Mississippi River, starting in 1840. Just a year later, the “seat of justice” was moved to the county’s center at a spot that became the town of Vandenberg. The town’s name was soon changed to DeWitt, which remained the county seat until a vote in 1869 relocated it once again, this time to the fast-growing community of Clinton. The Romanesque-style courthouse dedicated there in 1897 a few blocks from the Mississippi still serves the citizens well.
Clinton now is a modern Iowa river town, complete with riverboat gambling , its own comedy/musical theater troupe, a showboat named for Lillian Russell, and Midwest League baseball. It is also one of the smallest U.S. cities to support a full, professional symphony orchestra.
Several buildings in Clinton’s Riverview Cultural & Entertainment District are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Van Allen Building” – a jewel box” designed by Louis H. Sullivan and named a National Historic Landmark.
In its early history, Clinton was a small hamlet named New York. A change that brought the railroad closer to its location than to rival town Lyons resulted in a new name, and Clinton ultimately absorbed Lyons – now known as the Lyons District - along with some other small communities.
Just downriver and adjoining Clinton, Camanche is the county’s second largest community and offers plenty of recreational opportunities of its own. Along with Clinton, the smaller towns of DeWitt and Low Moor were important stops on the Underground Railroad of the 1850s.
History buffs will find lots of interesting spots to visit in the county’s other small towns, including the Depot Museum in Delmar. Visitors are advised to be sure to tour “Elizabeth,” the caboose, and to look closely at the Orphan Train mural.
Sources: “History of Clinton County Courthouses,” Clinton Convention & Visitors Bureau, Clinton Regional Development Corp.

Cities in Clinton County

Andover pop. 87
Calamus pop. 394
Camanche pop. 4215
Charlotte pop. 421
Clinton pop. 27772
Delmar pop. 514
Dewitt pop. 5049
Goose Lake pop. 232
Grand Mound pop. 676
Lost Nation pop. 497
Low Moor pop. 240
Toronto pop. 134
Welton pop. 159
Wheatland pop. 772