NRHP: Clay County Courthouse
Contents
Clay County Courthouse
NRHP Reference #: 89002240
NRHP Listing Date: 19900110
Location
Fairfield bet Alexander & Brown Aves, Clay Center, Clay County, Nebraska
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Summary
Clay County, located in southeast Nebraska, was organized in 1871. Sutton was the first county seat, but from the beginning it had to contend with Harvard and Fairfield, which also coveted the county seat designation. In 1879 another contender entered the fray, Clay Center. As its name suggests, it is in the center of the county, an important advantage in county seat competition. Several votes were held to determine where the county seat should be located, but for various reasons none were successful in replacing Sutton. In 1879 the county board simply declared Clay Center the new county seat. However, the Nebraska State Supreme Court ordered the county offices back to Sutton. Clay Center boosters then acted as a vigilante band. They stole county records and spirited them away to the illegal county seat. The feat occurred four days before an election that finally brought Clay Center the legal county seat designation. By 1916 the old courthouse was inadequate for county needs. Reacting to a petition by county residents, the board levied a special tax for a new courthouse. Construction began in 1917 and by 1919 a new two-story courthouse with a raised basement, built in the Beaux Arts style, opened its doors.
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About the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the country’s official list of historically significant properties. To be eligible for the NRHP a property must generally retain their historic appearance, be at least 50 years old, and have the potential to be documented as historically or architecturally significant at either the local, state, or national level. The National Register of Historic Places is a National Park Service program administered by the Nebraska State Historical Society for the state of Nebraska. Visit the Nebraska State Historical Society's website to learn more about the program.
