Clay County is named for Henry Clay, who was an American statesman, United States Senator and Congressman from Kentucky 1806-1852, U.S. Secretary of State 1825-1829, three times Speaker of the House and three times candidate for president.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Effingham County and Jasper County
E – Jasper County and Richland County
S – Wayne County
W – Marion County and Fayette County
Created: December 23, 1824 
County Seat:
Hubbardsville 1825
Maysville 1825 – 1841
Louisville 1841 – present
County Courthouse – Louisville
Location: 111 West Chestnut Street / South Main Street
Built: 1912 – 1913
Style: Neo-Classical
Architect: Joseph W Royer of Urbana
Contractor: English Brothers of Champaign
Description: The building faces north and is a two story gray colored limestone and concrete structure. The north and south wings extend from the main building and have two large columns framing the recessed entrance on the first story. Around the roof line is a balustrade. On the first story, double-doors on the southeast corner of the lobby open to the Circuit Courtroom. The judge’s bench, witness stand and desk are on a raised platform on the northeast wall. The grand staircase on the north wall leads to a narrow lobby, running east on the second story. The courtroom has coffered ceilings with a stained glass skylight in the center. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 4th Judicial Circuit.
See: The architect Joseph W Royer of Urbana, Illinois designed courthouses in Illinois in Bureau County, Champaign County, Douglas County, Ford County, Grundy County, Marion County, Piatt County and Richland County; in iowa in Linn County; and in Wisconsin in Douglas County.
See: The contractor, English Brothers of Champaign constructed courthouses in Jackson County, Madison County and Tazewell County.
See: The 4th Judicial District includes Christian County, Clinton County, Effingham County, Fayette County, Jasper County, Marion County, Montgomery County and Shelby County.
History: The county was created in 1824 and Hubbardsille was selected as the county seat in 1825. The Court first met at the home of John McCawley. The first courthouse was built by Daniel May on the public square and the name of the county seat was changed to Maysville in 1825. The county seat was moved to Louisville in 1841. The second courthouse was built by Samuel Slocumb and completed by Hartwig Samuelson in 1846. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1912 to 1913.
County Courthouse – Louisville
Photos taken 2008