Clay County is a
county in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...
of
Tennessee. As of the
2020 census, the population was 7,581.
Its
county seat and only incorporated city is
Celina.
Clay County is named in honor of American statesman
Henry Clay
Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...
, member of the
United States Senate from
Kentucky and
United States Secretary of State in the 19th century.
History
Clay County was formed in 1870 by combining pieces from surrounding
Jackson and
Overton counties.
[Corinne McLerran,]
Clay County
" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: 24 June 2013. Secretary of State
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871July 23, 1955) was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ...
's first law office (now a museum) was located in Clay County.
Clay County's early inhabitants farmed and worked the Cumberland River, which was the major method of transportation in the Cumberland area. There were many docks and ferry crossings throughout Clay County to transport local crops and livestock to major markets. The timber industry was a major employer throughout the 1800s and 1900s and provides many jobs today. Tobacco farming became important in the local area throughout the 1900s and many old tobacco barns are still standing. With the end of government subsidies and with foreign competition, tobacco farming is minimal. Cattle, poultry, and corn are the major agricultural influences today. Clay County is one of the top poultry-producing counties in Tennessee.
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...
, many skirmishes took place up and down the Cumberland River to control the movement of barges laden with supplies. Local communities were split in their loyalties, with many families at odds with each other. Some of these animosities remain today between family groups.
The city of Celina is at the junction of the
Obey and Cumberland rivers, and it was a major port during the steamboat years between
Nashville and
Burnside,
Kentucky. Although the Celina ferry landing no longer exists, Celina still connects the north and south by highway. Butler's Landing was used as a storage depot with large warehouses owned and operated by the Butler family. The first Clay County Court meeting was held in a store near the river at Butler's Landing on March 6, 1871. Butler's Landing nearly became the county seat, but Celina won the vote by a narrow margin.
Clay County's rural location has restricted development and attraction of business and industry. This has resulted in the county having one of the highest unemployment rates annually in the state of Tennessee. The lack of jobs often results in the loss of educated young people who have limited opportunities locally.
SR 52 has been upgraded to a 4-lane divided highway as part of the
Corridor J
The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historica ...
project, which connects to
I-40 in
Cookeville, and work continues on developing a new industrial park within the Celina city limits. It is hoped this industrial park will help attract more jobs to the county. .
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (8.8%) is water.
The
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
flows through the center of the county from north to south, fed by the
Obey River
The Obey River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 tributary of the Cumberland River in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It joins the Cumberland River near the t ...
which flows through the city of Celina from its impoundment at
Dale Hollow Lake
The Dale Hollow Reservoir is a reservoir situated on the Kentucky/Tennessee border. The lake is formed by the damming of the Obey River, 7.3 miles (12 km) above its juncture with the Cumberland River at river mile 380. Portions of the lake al ...
, inundates much of the eastern part of the county.
Adjacent counties
*
Monroe County, Kentucky (north)
*
Cumberland County, Kentucky
Cumberland County is a county located in the Pennyroyal Plateau region of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,856. Its county seat is Burkesville. The county was formed in 1798 and named for the Cumberlan ...
(northeast)
*
Clinton County, Kentucky
Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky in the Pennyrile Region along the southern border with Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,272. Its county seat is Albany. The county was formed in 1835 a ...
(northeast)
*
Pickett County (east)
*
Overton County (southeast)
*
Jackson County (south)
*
Macon County (west)
State protected areas
*
Standing Stone State Forest (part)
Highways
*
*
*
*
*
*
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...
, there were 7,581 people, 3,039 households, and 2,002 families residing in the county.
2000 census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 7,976 people, 3,379 households, and 2,331 families residing in the county. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 7,992
The
population density was 34 people per square mile (13/km
2). There were 3,959 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6/km
2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.75%
White, 1.44%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...
, 0.33%
Native American, 0.14%
Asian, 0.11%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...
, 0.24% from
other races, and 4.99% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 3,379 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% were
married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.50% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 27.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $23,958, and the median income for a family was $29,784. Males had a median income of $23,513 versus $16,219 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $13,320. About 14.30% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 23.40% of those under age 18 and 27.60% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
*
Celina (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
*
Bakerton, Tennessee
*
Baptist Ridge
*
Free Hill
*
Hermitage Springs
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Midway
*
Moss
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Pea Ridge
Ghost town
*
Willow Grove[Watts, Jennifer (May 18, 2021)]
"Underwater Ghost Towns of Tennessee".
''Tennessee State Museum''. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
Politics
Though a traditionally Democratic county like most of
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the ...
, Clay County has historically been more competitive compared to other counties in the region such as
Stewart County, Tennessee . The county voted for GOP candidates in 1920, 1960, 1968, 1972, 1984 and 1988, and
Herbert Hoover in 1928,
Ronald Reagan in 1980, and
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in 2004 all came within less than 2 percentage points of winning Clay County. Like almost all of Tennessee, however, the county has turned solidly Republican in the 2010s.
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Clay County, Tennessee
References
External links
Clay County Chamber of CommerceClay County Schools Dale Hollow Lake tourism informationClay County, TNGenWeb- genealogy resources
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Dale Hollow Horizon' – local newspaper
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{{authority control
1870 establishments in Tennessee
Populated places established in 1870
Middle Tennessee
Counties of Appalachia