Clay County Courthouse

Photo: Keith Hair

 

Location: Fort Gaines

Date Built: 1871-73

Architectural Style: Vernacular (Greek Revival influence)

Designer: Unknown

Other Information: It is not clear what served as Clay County courthouse for the first 17 years of the county's existence. In 1869 and 1870, local grand juries recommended that a county courthouse be built, and in 1870, the General Assembly authorized Clay County to hold a referendum on whether to borrow money to build a courthouse. Voters agreed, and construction began in 1871. Completed in 1873, the Clay County courthouse is still in use today.

County Courthouse Historical Marker: Click here

County History: Clay County was created from portions of Early and Randolph counties by an act of the General Assembly approved Feb. 16, 1854. Georgia's 110th county was named for former U.S. Representative, U.S. Secretary of State, and U.S. Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. Clay, who died in June 1852, is probably best remembered for his role in securing congressional approval of the Compromise of 1850, which dealt with the divisive issue of allowing slavery in the U.S.'s western territories.

County Seat: The 1854 legislation creating Clay County authorized the judges of the inferior court to select a site to serve as county seat and to provide for erection of public buildings. The act further provided that until a county seat was selected, county elections and business be conducted in Fort Gaines. Subsequently, the inferior court judges selected Fort Gaines as Clay County's seat of government.

Historical Maps of Clay County:

Size of County (Total Area): 217.0 square miles

County Rank in Total Area: 135th out of 159

Population:

Clay County

City of Fort Gaines

 

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This page has been accessed times from sites outside the Institute since January 26, 2000. This page was last modified on Sunday February 27, 2000.