Nelson Washington Clark was a builder who, with his brother Jeremiah, joined the flow of pioneers in the 1830s from New York State to Michigan, where they bought 2,000 acres of land along the Clinton River in Independence Township. The brothers built a grist mill and dam, and the dam formed the Mill Pond. From 1834 to 1839, Nelson built the house and barn on property along the east bank of the pond. The home became a landmark of the prosperity that became Clarkston, as Nelson also built a school, another mill, a store, and the first fish hatchery in Michigan.