History
The following information was sourced and provided by the Clinton County History Center.
In 1785, the area that was to become Ohio was part of the Virginia Military District, land being used as payment to military veterans from Virginia for their service during the American Revolution. Before this, Native American tribes such as the Hopewell, Fort Ancient, and Adena cultures called the area home. When the earliest settlers came to Clinton County in about 1798 they found the soil very fertile and almost the entire area covered by massive forests and tangled shrubs. On February 19, 1810 Clinton County was established as a result of lands donated from surrounding Highland and Warren Counties. The new county was named “Clinton” in honor of U.S. Vice President George Clinton. That same year the county’s population was recorded as 2,674.
The city of Wilmington is located in Union Township and is the county seat for Clinton County. Established in 1810, the town of Wilmington has continued to grow and prosper in its over two hundred years of existence. Timothy Bennet is credited with being one of the first settlers in the area of Wilmington – arriving in March 1801. Following Bennet was George Haworth and Nathan Linton, who settled in what is now Union Township around 1803. The first Mayor of Wilmington was Isaiah Morris. He was also the first Postmaster of the town and first county representative to serve the State General Assembly. It is noted that the first store opened in Wilmington on July 8, 1811 and was operated by non-other than Isaiah Morris and William Ferguson. The very first newspaper in the county was the weekly Western Whig, which was published in Wilmington in 1838.
As the county seat of Clinton County, Wilmington was plotted and laid out between 1810 and 1812 as a result of land donated by David Faulker and Joseph Doan. The town was laid out by George McManis and consisted of 16 squares of eight lots each – numbering from 1 to 128 – with lots 58 and 73 specifically set aside for public grounds. The most expensive lots sold for $100 and the cheapest sold for $4.
This area was originally known as Clinton in 1810, but in September of that year the name was changed to Armenia. On December 31, 1810 the name was changed again to Mt. Pleasant. It was once again altered for a final time on February 10, 1811 to Wilmington – after the towns in Delaware and North Carolina. At that time, it was also ruled that any further name changes for the town of Wilmington would have to be authorized by the state legislature.
Many of the community's early residents were members of the Society of Friends (Quakers). They played an important role in the Underground Railroad, helping runaway slaves find freedom in the North. The local Quaker community also established Wilmington College in 1870.
From the earliest days of Clinton County to the present, farming has always been an integral part of the community. Corn and wheat were farmed and livestock such as hogs and cattle were raised. These, along with soybeans are still a major source of revenue. One of the oldest established companies in Clinton County is the Champion Bridge Company, which is located on Sugartree Street in Wilmington. This company was started in 1875 and at that time produced wood, steel, and combination bridges. Today the Champion Bridge Company produces commercial and industrial buildings.
Public services in Wilmington include the National Weather Service, the Wilmington City Cab Service, the Wilmington Water Treatment Plant, and local fire departments and EMS squads. The National Weather Service issues weather forecasts and warnings for the southwest half of Ohio, north central Kentucky, and southeast Indiana and was established locally in 1994.
The first school in Wilmington was a log schoolhouse built by Joseph Doan between 1810 and 1812. The first teacher at that school was Isaac Garretson. On April 1, 1853 the different schools of Wilmington were organized into one single district. In 1853 the first African American teacher in Wilmington, Charles Hurd, was hired to teach at Wilmington’s African American school called the Midland building. The Midland school was built in 1884.
Religion has always been an important part of our community. Some of the earliest church denominations in Wilmington have included Quaker, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and Catholic. The first house of worship is credited with being that of Center Meetinghouse, which was built by local Quakers in 1806, near the intersections of Center, Mitchell, and Anderson roads.
Wilmington has many historic buildings dating from the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries. One of the most recognizable of these is the Clinton County Courthouse, located downtown. Completed in 1918, it is a Second Renaissance Revival style building. It boasts marble staircases and beautiful murals on the dome ceiling. Eighty-five years later these mythical murals still depict the heart of Clinton County: Education, Agriculture, Medicine, and Industry. A few additional famous Wilmington landmarks include Rombach Place which was the former family home of General James W. Denver (for whom Denver, CO is named) and the current site of our county museum, as well as the Murphy Theatre which was the dream of Charles Murphy (former owner of the Chicago Cubs). The city park was also a significant donation by the Williams Family to honor the legacy of their son, CPL J.W. Denver Williams Jr, who was killed in action on Okinawa during WWII.
Wilmington was chosen “Most Livable Neighborhood” by Cincinnati Magazine in the August 1995 issue and was also chosen as best small town in Ohio in the book “The 100 Best Small Towns in America” by Norman Crampton. One of the city's proudest moments being when the community was featured in Time magazine in 1997 as an attractive area for suburban families.
Wilmington has changed considerably since its conception over two hundred year ago. While agriculture is still very important to the community, industry is growing at an incredible rate. Throughout the years Wilmington has seen the expansion and addition of many businesses, neighborhoods, schools, roads, hotels, restaurants, and retail stores. The intermingling of both the city and country make Wilmington an ideal place to live, work, and enjoy!