Clay County, Arkansas: History and Information

Clay County, Arkansas

Clay County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat:
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Court House:

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Etymology - Origin of County Name

Meaning of County Name

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County QuickFacts:

History

Created in March 24, 1873, from parts of Randolph and Greene counties, it was named for Senator James M. Clayton. After moving the county seat several times, officials finally settled on two county seats, as flooding on the Black and Cache Rivers often made passage impossible from one side of the county to the other. Clay County is unique in that it is surrounded on two sides by Missouri and two sides by Arkansas. It has two courthouses that are almost identical in appearance. The courthouse in Corning is in a residential area whereas the courthouse in Piggott is located in the center of town. The Black River divides the county. For many years, the only way to get from one of its courthouses to the other in the spring term of court, which normally occurred while the river was at flood stage, was to ride the railroad to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, spend the night, and catch the morning train to the other county seat, arriving late the second day. The major economy comes from general farming and raising livestock. Rice is the major crop, followed by cotton, soybeans, corn, hay, and milo. Light industry is scattered around. Two rivers, the Cashe and the Black River offer many recreational sports such as duck hunting and fishing, horseback riding along the trails, hiking and picnicking

Neighboring Counties:

North: Butler County, Mo.

Southeast: Dunklin County, Mo.

Southwest: Greene County

West: Randolph County

Northwest: Ripley County, Mo.

Cities and Towns:

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County Resources:

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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Arkansas State...

Arkansas

Arkansas Counties

Clay County, Arkansas

Clay County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

Clay County, Arkansas

County Resource Guide

Penn Foster High School