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History · Clay

Clay’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Clay. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1837established
0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

A post office was established in 1837 when the community was called Ashland, for Henry Clay's Lexington estate. It was renamed Clay in 1854. The city incorporated as "Claysville" in 1860, though the name was shortened to "Clay" in 1872.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Clay’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clay’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Clay

See all 18 →
Steve BeshearSteve BeshearDawson Springs · 22 miDemetrious JohnsonDemetrious JohnsonMadisonville · 20 miTerry BissonTerry BissonMadisonville · 20 miHappy ChandlerHappy ChandlerCorydon · 19 miDwane CaseyDwane CaseyMorganfield · 15 miFrank RamseyFrank RamseyCorydon · 19 mi
By decade

Clay, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today6 photos
Clay-welcome-sign-kyCommonsClay-welcome-sign-ky2018Clay-post-office-kyCommonsClay-post-office-ky2018Clay-Main-St-kyCommonsClay-Main-St-ky2018Clay-IOOF-building-kyCommonsClay-IOOF-building-ky2018Clay-Drug-Store-kyCommonsClay-Drug-Store-ky2018KYMap-doton-ClayCommonsKYMap-doton-Clay2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Clay is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Clay has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Providence Commercial Historic District in Providence, 6.3 miles away.

Clay and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Clay. Tap a dot.
Providence Commercial Historic DistrictWebster County CourthouseJohn Cox HouseBazle Edmiston HouseWeston Bluff Skirmish SiteBradford Porter House

Closest to Clay

Providence Commercial Historic DistrictProvidence · Late Victorian6.3miWebster County CourthouseDixon · Moderne · Built 19387.6miJohn Cox HouseNebo · Built 187511.5miBazle Edmiston HouseProvidence · Building11.8miWeston Bluff Skirmish SiteSturgis · Site13.7mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Providence Commercial Historic District’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Clay?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Clay’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Wheatcroft📜 Providence📜 Dixon📜 Sturgis

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The porch light’s on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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