Clay County is named for Henry Clay Jr., who was a Colonel who died in action in the Mexican-American War and who was the son of Henry Clay, a famous American.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Dickinson County
E – Palo Alto County
W – O’Brien County
Created: January 18, 1851 
County Seat:
Peterson 1851 – 1871
Spencer 1871 – present
County Courthouse – Spencer
Location: 215 West 4th Street / 2nd Avenue West
Built: 1900 – 1901
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: Kinney & Detweiler of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Contractor: E Miller
Description: The building faces south and is a two story Portage Entry Red Stone and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of the city. The front has a large portico supported by four large columns rising to a pediment at the roof with an American Eagle with outstretched wings surrounded by a laurel wreath. A dark red stone forms the base of the building. On the center of the roof is a large bronze dome. In the interior the lobby has a titled floor and pilasters. The courtroom is located on the west side of the second story. The building houses the County District Court of the 3A Judicial District. The clock tower was added in 1910. The building was renovated in 1981 to 1982. The architect was Fritzel-Kroeger-Griffin & Berg and the contractor was Spencer Construction Company Inc.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Clay County Courthouse
See: The 3A Judicial District includes Buena Vista County, Cherokee County, Dickinson County, Emmet County, Kossuth County, Lyon County, O’Brien County. Osceola County, Palo Alto County.
History: The county was created in 1851 and Peterson was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in Peterson at a cost of $6,900 in 1860 by C H Brockshink. The county seat was moved to Spencer in 1871. The second courthouse was built in Spencer in 1871 at a cost of $1,333. The third courthouse was a brick structure built at a cost of $4,435. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 1900 to 1901 at a cost of $60,000.
County Administration Building – Spencer
Location: 300 West 4th Street / 3rd Avenue West
Built: 1980 – 1901
Style: Modern
Architect: Fritzel-Kroeger-Griffin & Berg
Contractor: Sioux Contractors Inc.
Description: The building faces north and is a one story gray-red colored brick structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Spencer to the southwest of the courthouse. There are large rectangular openings with recessed glass panels. The roof line is flat.
County Courthouse – Spencer
County Administration Building – Spencer
Photos taken 2008 and 2010