Clay County, Indiana Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Clay County
U.S. county
Clay County Courthouse, Brazil
Location within the U.S. state of Indiana
Indiana's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Indiana
Founded	February 12, 1825
Named for	Henry Clay
Seat	Brazil
Largest city	Brazil
Area
• Total	360.32 sq mi (933.2 km²)
• Land	357.54 sq mi (926.0 km²)
• Water	2.78 sq mi (7.2 km²) 0.77%%
Population
• Estimate (2018)	26,170
• Density	75/sq mi (29.03/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	8th
Indiana county number 11

Clay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 26,890. The county seat is Brazil.

Clay County is included in the Terre Haute, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Geography
- Communities
- Adjacent counties
Transportation
- Major highways
- Airport
Climate and weather
Demographics
Education
See also

History

Clay County was formed in 1825. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, a famous antebellum American statesman.

The first Courthouse was built in the newly platted town of Bowling Green in 1828, soon after Clay County was formed by the Indiana legislature. It was a two-story structure of hand-hewn logs.

By the late 1830s Clay County had grown to the extent that the first Courthouse could no longer provide adequate facilities. Therefore, a second Courthouse was constructed near the first Courthouse. This was a two-story brick structure. This Courthouse served until destroyed by fire on the night of November 30, 1851.

Although some citizens believed Bowling Green was no longer the most practical or logical site for a new courthouse, the commissioners quickly decided to build the third courthouse on the site of the previous one in Bowling Green. Built of brick, at a cost of $11,000, and very similar to the previous courthouse, the new Courthouse began serving the county in the Fall of 1853.

By the 1860s the towns of Harmony, Knightsville, and Brazil were growing rapidly, due in part to their location along the National Road, and also because of the many coal companies in that section of the county. An effort to move the county seat of government to a more central location, which had begun in the 1850s, grew stronger creating controversy among citizens. In the 1860s citizens in the northern section of Clay County became more organized in their efforts. In 1871 brothers Robert and John Stewart donated a tract of land along the National Road in Brazil for proposed site of the new courthouse. The sum of $5,300 was also raised by citizens in the area to entice the commissioners to move the seat of government from Bowling Green to Brazil. This amount was reportedly the value of the existing courthouse and grounds, thus defusing opponents argument that abandoning the present courthouse would be a waste of taxpayers money. The relocation efforts, which began in 1871, were challenged in the Supreme Court. The relocation was finally granted in 1876.

In 1912 John W. Gaddis, a prominent architect in Vincennes, Indiana, entered into a contract with the County Commissioners to design, plan, and oversee the construction of a new courthouse. The construction bid of W.H. Bailey and Charles A. Koemer of Louisville, Kentucky was accepted in 1912 with the cornerstone being laid in the fall of 1912. Gaddis had successfully completed several others: in Fairfield and Robinson, Illinois: Perryville, Missouri and two in Indiana, the Putnam County Courthouse in Greencastle (1905) and the Huntington County Courthouse (1906) in Huntington, which are also in Classical Revival mode.

The Clay County Courthouse built in 1913-1914, is one of the most historically and architecturally significant buildings in Brazil and Clay County, Indiana. Built in Classical Revival style of architecture, it is the only building in Clay County holding county government offices and records. It is also located alongside the famed National Road (Cumberland Trail). The present Courthouse is the fifth Courthouse to serve the people of Clay County.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 360.32 square miles (933.2 km²), of which 357.54 square miles (926.0 km²) (or 99.23%) is land and 2.78 square miles (7.2 km²) (or 0.77%) is water.

Communities

City

Brazil

Towns

Census-designated place

Coalmont

Other unincorporated communities

Extinct

Townships

Brazil
Cass
Dick Johnson
Harrison
Jackson
Lewis
Perry
Posey
Sugar Ridge
Van Buren
Washington

Adjacent counties

Parke County (north)
Putnam County (northeast)
Owen County (southeast)
Greene County (south)
Sullivan County (southwest)
Vigo County (west)

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 70
U.S. Route 40
State Road 42
State Road 46
State Road 48
State Road 59
State Road 157
State Road 159
State Road 246
State Road 340

Airport

The county contains one public-use airport: Brazil Clay County Airport (0I2), serving Brazil, Indiana.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Brazil, Indiana

2.5

2.3

3.7

4.1

4.8

4.3

4.9

4.5

3.1

4.3

3.5

temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
65 2 -7	57 6 -4	94 12 1	104 19 6	121 24 11	108 29 16	124 31 18	114 29 17	78 26 13	77 20 7	108 12 2	89 4 -4
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in Brazil have ranged from a low of 19 °F (−7 °C) in January to a high of 87 °F (31 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 109 °F (43 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.25 inches (57 mm) in February to 4.89 inches (124 mm) in July.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1830	1,616	—
1840	5,567	244.5%
1850	7,944	42.7%
1860	12,161	53.1%
1870	19,084	56.9%
1880	25,854	35.5%
1890	30,536	18.1%
1900	34,285	12.3%
1910	32,535	−5.1%
1920	29,447	−9.5%
1930	26,479	−10.1%
1940	25,365	−4.2%
1950	23,918	−5.7%
1960	24,207	1.2%
1970	23,933	−1.1%
1980	24,862	3.9%
1990	24,705	−0.6%
2000	26,556	7.5%
2010	26,890	1.3%
2018 (est.)	26,170	−2.7%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 26,890 people, 10,447 households, and 7,454 families in the county. The population density was 75.2 inhabitants per square mile (29.0/km²). There were 11,703 housing units at an average density of 32.7 per square mile (12.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 29.2% were German, 20.2% were American, 12.8% were Irish, and 11.0% were English.

Of the 10,447 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age was 39.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,697 and the median income for a family was $52,907. Males had a median income of $40,671 versus $31,331 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,569. About 9.0% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The county has two high schools: Northview High School (grades 9–12) and Clay City High School (grades 7–12). There are 6 elementary schools: Van Buren Elementary, Jackson Township Elementary, Meridian Street Elementary, Forest Park Elementary, East Side Elementary and Clay City Elementary. The Clay Community School Corporation is located in Brazil.