The following is from the History of the State of Nebraska by A. T. Andreas.
 
Clay Center
 
 
      Clay Center, the county seat of Clay County, was laid off in the summer of 1879, by O. P. Alexander, acting as
      Trustee for the Town Site Company, composed of R. G. Brown, of Sutton; E. P. Church, of Harvard; R. Bayly
      and O. P. Alexander, of Fairfield, and is located at the exact center of the county. The land was purchased from
      the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company, and laid off, comprising 600 lots. The first building erected
      on the site was a large one-story frame, belonging to W. D. Young, and used by the county for a court house,
      and was built in May, 1879. The next building was a restaurant belonging to J. N. Mills, erected in June, 1879,
      and, in July, the post office was brought from Marshall, about two miles east, and established at the center, and
      was kept by the present incumbent, Mrs. Sophia Cruickshank, in a small house, the front part of which is used as
      a post office and the back part as a residence.

      About the first of the next year, G. E. Birge and L. D. Fowler built an abstract and loan office, in which business
      they are still engaged and have the only set of abstract books in the county; the firm also carried on a banking
      business. In August, 1881, a new firm was formed and incorporated, succeeding that of Birge & Fowler, known
      as the Clay Center Abstract and Loan Company, and has a capital stock paid up of $15,000. The company is
      composed of G. H. Cowles, President; L. D. Fowler, Vice President, and G. E. Birge, Manager.

      In January, 1881, W. D. Young built a carpenter shop, which was occupied June 1 by Mrs. E. C. Tout and in
      which she kept a general store, continuing in the business until December, and was succeeded by D. Leitch, who
      keeps a general store in the same room, in which also Mrs. A. L. Strong keeps a stock of millinery goods.

      The location of the county seat at this time was somewhat precarious. From the election held February 20, 1879,
      its relocation was declared by the Commissioners to be at Clay Center, being so determined from the vote cast.
      This declaration gave rise to the town of Clay Center, and incited to its upbuilding. In accordance with an order
      from the Commissioners, most all the county officers went to that place. But, as was afterward determined, the
      movement was too hasty. Much dissatisfaction existed as to the determination of the result of the election and the
      vote was recanvassed, and, in obedience to a mandamus of the Supreme Court, the vote of precincts, which had
      been thrown out on the ground of fraud, were ordered to be counted, and it was found out that Clay Center was
      not the county seat. The officials were then obliged to pack up their records and matters and betake themselves
      back to Sutton. On November 7, the election was held, and, by the legal vote of the people of the county, the
      seat of government was fixed at Clay Center.

      One the first of the new year, the offices were again transferred to the Center. A jail-house was immediately
      afterward built, costing $2,200, and is a single story frame, the main part being 24x38 feet, to which adjoins on
      the rear a wing, 20x40 feet, in which are the cells, which are frame, lined with steel cages.

      Following this, in the immediate order of time, was the erection of a hotel by C. L. Holbrook, which he ran as a
      public house until August of the same year, when it was rented to P. T. Walton and used for the same purpose up
      to February, 1881, at which time it was sold to J. B. and S. S. Tuttle, the present owners and proprietors.

      The next building was a law office which was built in March, 1880, by S. A. Searle, and, following this, was the
      erection of a storeroom, by S. A. Allen, in which for a short time he kept a stock of drugs; the business,
      however, ceased and the house was sold and is now used for a residence, and, in March, C. N. Green built a
      house for a saloon; H. L. Corey and J. H. Davis built a livery barn and residence, and also a residence by C. J.
      Martin was built during that month. In November, 1880, E. P. Burnett put up a residence, as also Mrs. D. C.
      Marsh, the latter being used for a short time for a boarding-house, while the court house was in process of
      erection.

      The contract for the erection of the court house was given to W. D. Young, in February, 1880, and, in the
      following May, work was commenced upon the building, which was completed by the 1st of November,
      according to the terms of contract. It is a large two-story brick structure, 47x64 feet in dimensions, and is capped
      with a large and substantial dome.

      The upper story embraces the court-room, which extends in length to the entire width of the building, and is forty
      feet wide, adjoining which are the jury, judge's and witness rooms, while in the first story are located the county
      offices, which are constructed with fire-proof vaults, and the Treasurer's office, supplied with a burglar-proof
      safe. The proposed cost of the building was $11,000, while the actual cost, when completed, was $22,000,
      including furniture, fixtures, "etc., etc., etc.," as appears on the statement submitted by the contractor.

      G. S. & J. C. Ward, before the town started, had opened a blacksmith shop just outside of where it was laid off,
      and, in January, 1880, they moved their shop into the town, where they continued the trade of blacksmithing and
      repairing. A church edifice was erected in December, 1880, by the Christians, who had hitherto been holding
      services in a country schoolhouse, south of where the town now stands, and is a 24x46 frame house, costing
      about $1,200. A schoolhouse was built in July, 1881, in which was taught the first school in the town by Mrs.
      Charles Wagner.

      A second church was established in February, 1882, by the Congregationalists, with thirty members, and Rev. G.
      A. Taylor, pastor. Services are held in the court-room, but active steps are being taken for the building of a
      regular church house at an early date.

      An attempt at journalism was made at this point, in February, 1881, by W. A. Connell, who started the Clay
      Center Citizen. The paper survived six months, when the editor "vamosed," and the sheet collapsed. The
      concern was held under mortgage to its full value, and the editor went away, leaving it a "boon" to his creditors. It
      was sold to satisfy the mortgage, and was bought by a stock company, composed of some of the citizens of the
      town, who published it for a short time, when the company dissolved and sold the material to the proprietor of
      the Fairfield Herald. The town has no railroad communication, but is reached by stage and mail lines from Edgar,
      Fairfield, Harvard and Sutton. The splendid location of the place and its being the county seat, augurs favorably
      that, in case a railroad is run through the town, as is talked of, as being probable, it is only a question of short time
      until Clay Center shall become the chief town and commercial emporium of the county.
 



 

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