Clay County is named for Henry Clay, who was a statesman and orator who represented Kentucky in both the House of Representatives and Senate.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Cherokee County and Macon County
E – Macon County
S – Towns County, Georgia and Union County, Georgia
W – Cherokee County
Created: February 20, 1861 
County Seat:
Hayesville 1861 – present
County Courthouse – Hayesville
Location: 25 Herbert Street / Sanderson Street
Built: 1888 – 1889
Style: Italianate
Architect: William Gould Bulgin
Contractor: Captain J S Anderson.
Description: The building faces southwest and is a two story red colored brick and wood structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds of the Public Square in the center of Hayesville. The southwest front has a square brick tower with arched entrance on the first story with three window fanlight. On the second story is a vertical arched window and at the top is a white colored wood cupola with hipped roof. The windows are arched and the roof is hipped. The building is named as the Beal Center.
See: National Register of Historic Places – Clay County Courthouse
County Government Center – Hayesville
Location: Courthouse Drive / Highway 64
Built: 2006 – 2007
Style: Modern
Architect: Pease Associates
Contractor: Wells & West Inc.
Description: The building faces southeast and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds to the west of the center of Hayesville. The southeast front has a semi-circular section with vertical dividers between the windows. The north and south wings are one story. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County Superior Court and County District Court of the 30th Judicial District.
See: The 30th Judicial District includes Cherokee County, Graham County, Haywood County, Jackson County, Macon County and Swain County.
History: The county was created in 1861 and Hayesville was selected as the county seat. The first courts met in the Methodist Church near Fort Hembree. The first courthouse was built and later burned in 1870. A makeshift structure was the second courthouse and in 1885, the county rented space in the Masonic Hall. Court was held in the Presbyterian Church from 1887 to 1889. The third courthouse was designed by William Gould Bulgin using his plans for the 1881 Macon County courthouse and built at a cost of $7.240. The fourth and present courthouse was constructed in 2006 to 2007.
County Courthouse – Hayesville
County Government Center – Hayesville
Photos taken 2012