Clay County is named for Henry Clay, who was from Kentucky and who was a United States Representative, a United States Senator and Secretary of State.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Clinton County
E – Ray County
S – Jackson County
W – Wyandotte County, Kansas and Platte County
Created: January 2, 1822 
County Seat:
Liberty 1822 – present
County Courthouse – Liberty
Location: 101 East Kansas Street / North Water Street
Built: 1935 – 1936
Style: Art Deco
Architect: Thomas Wight and Edward Drewin Wight of Kansas City
Contractor: Bliss and Duncan of Kansas City
Description: The building faces south and is a two story white colored limestone structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Liberty. The building is 117 feet by 87 feet and has a raised basement. The south front has wide steps with entrance on the first story and has a five vertical window insets with panels between the windows, and above is decorative work with clock above. The east and west wings project. The roof line is flat. The building was a Public Works Administration project. The building now houses the county administration. An annex was built in the 1970’s.
County Justice Center – Liberty
Location: 11 South Water Street / East Mill Street
Built: 1982 – 1985
Style: Modern
Architect: HMN Architects of Kansas City
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces north and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Liberty to the south of the courthouse. The building forms a semi circle along the south and east side which have narrow windows. On the north side is a large recessed light orange colored entrance section with two columns and glass panel walls. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 7th Judicial Circuit. The building is named as the James S Rooney Justice Center.
See: The 7th Judicial Circuit includes Clay County.
History: The county was created in 1822 and Liberty was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built by Joseph Bright in 1831 to 1833 at a cost of $1,770. The building was destroyed by fire on March 27, 1857. The second courthouse was designed by Peter McDuff and built by Crump and Thompson in 1859 at a cost of $35,000. The present courthouse was constructed at a cost of $263,410. The County Justice Center was constructed in 1982 to 1985.
County Courthouse – Linerty
Photos taken 2009