Claytonville

Claytonville is on Farm Road 145 ten miles east of Kress in southeastern Swisher County. In the early 1950s M. C. Clayton, a cotton grower, moved his ginning business to the area from Bailey in Fannin County. He then built a grocery and cafe for his employees. Soon the Clayton Gin became a favorite gathering place for area farmers, and for several years the company hosted a community barbecue just before harvest. The gin was one of the first to compost gin waste and return it to the fields. In 1962 a Baptist church was established at Claytonville. In 1984 Claytonville reported a population of 116 and six businesses. The population was still 116 in 1990 and 2000.