Clay was established on
the site of a farm that was the site of Clay County's first court meeting following the county's establishment in
1858. The town and county were both named for Henry Clay
.
Clay is the county seat of Clay County, incorporated in 1895, which was named for Henry
Clay. The community was initially known by the name of "Marshall," then briefly as "Henry," and then as
"Clay Courthouse" and finally Clay. Clay is located along the Elk River at the mouth of Buffalo Creek on the former main
line of the Coal & Coke Railroad. The region's first settler was an Irishman named McCalgin. Clay was first named
"Marshall" after Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, and changed in 1863 to Henry. The town was incorporated as
the Town of Henry, by the Circuit Court of Clay County in 1895, although its post-office name was
Clay. The first passenger train over the Charleston, Clendenin & Sutton Railroad.
The act creating Clay County declared that the county seat was to be located on the McCalgin
(or McOlgin) farm, near the mouth of Buffalo Creek. The area was then known as Marshall. The earliest settlers in the area
were Colonel W. E. R. Byrne, A. J. Stephenson, Ellis Myer, Clabourne Pierson, and T.B. Stephenson. The local citizens generally
referred to the town as Clay Court House, because the courthouse was the town's main reason for existing, and was the
town's primary source of social and economic interaction. On October 10, 1863, the state legislature changed the town's
name to Henry, honoring Henry Clay. In 1927, the town's name was changed to Clay.
