Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a
land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land
here.
The land for Clinton Park, along with the adjoining land that is now the Jewish Community Center (JCC), was acquired by the city in 1964. The building was originally an elementary school. The JCC purchased the school from the school system in 1986. The park is likely named after the school.
Anna Clinton taught in the Ann Arbor public schools for 48 years, until 1939. She was born in Ann Arbor, the daughter of Joseph and Jean Kearns Clinton. She went to AA High and Ypsilanti Normal College, now Eastern Michigan University. She became a school teacher and remained single all of her life. She lived at 521 E. Ann Street. She was a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church and the Washtenaw Historical Society as well as the retired teachers club. She died May 2, 1960 at the age of 89. Clinton School was named in her honor and opened in 1968. It closed in 1985.
The school was at the center of lively debates about integration and busing in the 1960s and 70s. In 1979 a committee was formed to discuss why Clinton School had almost all white students and nearby Bryant School almost all black students. These discussions led to many changes on school district borders to promote integration.
