Claymont, Delaware

The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans Creek where it empties into the Delaware River. This once rich ecosystem has been occupied steadily since before 1200 A.D. and has undergone numerous cultural and economic changes, most of which are still evident in the architecture and living patterns of the community today. The first residents were aboriginal Indians of the Middle Woodland period (1100-1600 B.C.). Evidence of these early dwellers has been found along both sides of Naamans Creek. The Dutch named the creek and settlement after the Chief of the Lenape Indians who occupied the region.[3] The settlement grew rapidly from the 17th century through the 20th century, first with gristmills, farms, and related ancillary industries, and later with lumber mills, a steel mill, and a chemical plant.

In 1681, John Grubb purchased a one-third interest in a 600-acre tract of the Brandywine Hundred which came to be known as Grubb's Landing.[4]

Sitting strategically along the Delaware River, Claymont has been a two-way thoroughfare for travel to and from Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., since colonial days. During the colonial period, the town served as a stop along the King's Highway, and with its location at the confluence of Interstate 95, Interstate 495, US 13 (Governor Printz Boulevard) and US 13 Bus. Philadelphia Pike has long been a thoroughfare for travel between Philadelphia (20 miles to the north) and Washington, D.C. (100 miles to the south).

In 1838, the newly constructed Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad built a station in Claymont. The area developed from a primarily agricultural community to a suburban resort area for wealthy Philadelphia families, and in the early 20th century into an industrial working community.[5] It has included the suburban subdivisions of Claymont Addition, Brookview, Worthland, and Woodstream Gardens.

Naamans became Claymont in 1856 after the Reverend John B. Clemson, pastor of the Episcopal church, relocated with his family from their plantation, Claymont Court, in Charles Town, West Virginia.[6]

Claymont, with its diverse population, has continued to maintain a strong sense of community. The community's religious, civic, historic, and social organizations play a major role in supporting its unique character.

Claymont Library in Claymont, Delaware

Neighborhoods of Claymont

Claymont is located at 39°48′02″N 75°27′35″W (39.8006685, -75.4596404),[12] in northeastern Brandywine Hundred, on the ridge line between the coastal floodplain of the Delaware River and the upland piedmont area of northwestern New Castle County.

The area generally considered to be Claymont encompasses the entire 19703 ZIP code,[5] which is bounded by the Pennsylvania border to the north, the Delaware River to the east, the CSX railroad line to the west, and Perkins Run creek to the south.[13]

The ZIP Code Tabulation Area for 19703 includes communities such as Ashbourne Hills, the Greentree section, the Society Hill Section, and parts of Rolling Park, which are neighborhoods located within Claymont. The area had a population of 14,471 with a total of 5,984 households at the 2010 Census.[15] The racial makeup of the area was 61.83% White, 31.41% African American, 7.72% Hispanic, 0.89% Native American, 4.75% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, and 3.48% from other races. As of 2010, the median household income for the 19703 ZIP code was $58,304 with an average of 2.42 persons per household.

Claymont is in the Brandywine School District.[16]

Archmere Academy, a private school, is in Claymont.

Claymont Station, which serves SEPTA Regional Rail's Wilmington/Newark Line

Major roads that serve Claymont include Interstate 95, Interstate 495, US 13 (Governor Printz Boulevard), US 13 Bus. (Philadelphia Pike), and DE 92 (Naamans Road).[17] Claymont Station is a SEPTA Regional Rail train station on the Wilmington/Newark Line, providing service north to Center City Philadelphia and south to Wilmington and Newark.[18] Trains along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor pass through Claymont but do not stop; the nearest Amtrak station is Wilmington Station.[17] DART First State provides bus service to Claymont along Route 13, which runs from the Northtowne Plaza in Claymont south along Philadelphia Pike to Wilmington; and Route 61, which runs from the Claymont Station west along Naamans Road to the Brandywine Town Center.[19] SEPTA Suburban Bus Route 113 runs from the Northtowne Plaza in Claymont north into Delaware County, Pennsylvania, providing service to the Chester Transportation Center in Chester, the Darby Transportation Center in Darby, and the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby.[20]

Archmere Academy

Claymont is home to several historic places, including the Claymont Stone School, est. 1805, which may have been the state's first racially integrated public school, Archmere Academy, est. 1916, in the former home of industrialist John J. Raskob, the Darley House, est. 1859, former home of illustrator F. O. C. Darley, the Grubb/Worth Mansion, erected in 1783, and the Robinson House, with a Block House believed to be the only structure remaining of the original Naaman's Creek settlement.

President Joe Biden moved to Claymont from Scranton, Pennsylvania in his early youth

• Valerie Bertinelli, One Day at a Time and Touched by an Angel actress
• Joe Biden, 46th President of the United States and former U. S. Senator and Vice President
• John Carney, Governor of Delaware
• J. Caleb Boggs, former Governor of Delaware, U. S. Representative, and U. S. Senator
• F. O. C. Darley, known as the "Father of American Illustration"
• John Grubb, two-term member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, one of the original settlers of Claymont
• Nathaniel Grubb, served in the Pennsylvania Colonial Assembly
• Keith "Bang Bang" McCurdy, celebrity tattoo artist
• John J. Raskob, DuPont and General Motors executive
• Adolf Ulric Wertmüller, Swedish portrait painter