Built in 1901 (Romanesque Revival architecture). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
“The Clay County Courthouse in Clay Center, Kansas was built during 1900-01. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.”
Wikipedia article Clay County Courthouse (Kansas), CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 4 National Register listings published here for Clay County · listed in 1973 · category: Building · built in 1901, Romanesque Revival architecture, by James C. Holland.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 24 fires within 5 miles of Clay County Courthouse between 2015 and 2020, burning about 169 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 9 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 2018111 |
| 17 September 2017 | Natural | under an acre | Clay County | 2017081 |
| 5 July 2018 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 15 |
| 25 June 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 1500011 |
| 1 June 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 28 April 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 2018064 |
| 8 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 30 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 1438 |
| 7 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 150004 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Clay County Courthouse: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alsop Sand Pit & Plant | Clay | Past Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Clay Center, the town this property stands in, in 131 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 67 hail, 51 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 3 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | $600,000 | Water reported over 9th road and Kiowa south of Clay Center. Road is closed. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $500,000 | Strong thunderstorm winds caused major tree damage in the area. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | $200,000 | One foot of water flowing over Crawford street in town. |
| April 2006 | Tornado (F1) | Clay Center | $100,000 | This tornado formed from a supercell thunderstorm 2 miles west of Clay Center at 3:40pm cst and travelled 9 miles before lifting 2 miles south-southwest of Garfield Center at 3:52pm cst. The tornado was up to 1/2 mile wide at times and damaged numerous outbuildings, trees, roofs, and irrigation pivots along its path. It was rated as a strong F1 tornado. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Clay Center | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Clay Center | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Lightning | Clay Center | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | $10,000 | no account filed |
| September 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $9,000 | Strong winds blew down power lines. Also a tree was blow down onto a parked car doing minor damage. Asecond tree was blown down onto the roof of a house causing some roof damage. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $5,000 | Strong winds destroyed some outbuildings. |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $5,000 | Strong winds damaged power poles. |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $1,000 | no account filed |
| October 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $1,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | $500 | no account filed |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Picture from social media of a large part of a healthy tree down across road. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Tree down on Third Street in Clay Center. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Estimated wind gusts. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | NWS storm survey found extensive tree damage in Clay Center from a microburst with 80 to 90 mph winds. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Kansas state mesonet site reported a wind gust of 61 mph. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Clay Center | - | Quarter sized hail reported. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Measured at mesonet station ew5822 clay center. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Measured at mesonet station ew5822 clay center. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Damage to metal grain bins. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Measured wind gust. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Measured by a automated station. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Rotten tree uprooted. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Measured by a mesonet site. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Strong winds were reported on the gust front. Power was also out in Clay Center. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | A tree trunk in 1-2 feet in diameter was snapped at the base of the trunk. The report was received via a social media photo. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Clay Center | - | Dime to nickel size hail was reported. |
| August 2016 | Hail | Clay Center | - | Winds were estimated up to 50 mph. No damage was reported. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Delayed report. |
| October 2016 | Tornado (EF1) | Clay Center | - | This tornado was documented by storm chasers with video and photos which showed a well developed cone shaped tornado that at times appears to have done damage along a nearly 300 yard swath at least briefly after it crossed highway 15 in an open field. The main structures impacted included a farmstead with grain bins and other outbuildings exhibiting high end EF1 damage. Winds to around 110 mph were estimated at the farmstead. Given the lack of damage indicators along the path it is possible that this tornado was stronger at some point in its life as it moved through open fields. |
| October 2016 | Hail | Clay Center | - | Largest hailstone in the photo was approximately 2 inches in diameter. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Minor tree damage in Clay Center. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Large tree limbs down. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Medium sized tree limbs down. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | A tree limb fell on power line. |
| August 2013 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | - | Several streets in Clay center have water running over them. |
| October 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Large tree limb blocking the road on the outskirts of city. No diameter given. |
| October 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Wind gust estimated. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Large tree down in town square. Time estimated from radar. |
| June 2011 | Flood | Clay Center | - | Widespread flooding continues in Clay County along large stem rivers and smaller streams. Highway 15 was down to one lane near the Republican River. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | In Clay Center 7 to 9 inch diameter tree limbs were snapped at 9th Street and Dexter as a result of strong thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Numerous power lines were blown down in the town of Clay Center. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Clay Center | - | A third tornado touched down in Clay County the night of the 5th. The weak tornado caused window, roof, and siding damage to several homes along it's path. Storm surveyors also noted that several trees and outbuildings had also been damaged or destroyed. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Clay Center | - | Trained spotters and law enforcement officials across Clay Center called as hail quickly grew from one and a half inches in diameter the size of golfballs, to tennis balls, and finally to three and a half inches in diameter. The city of Clay Center, and local newspapers relayed numerous reports of damage. The large hail backed up storm sewers, which lead to flash flooding in the city. Homes and farm buildings were damaged. Vehicles, especially windshields also suffered fairly extensive damage. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Clay Center | - | Law enforcement and trained spotters reported hail from the size of walnuts to the size of golfballs. |
| September 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Estimated 60mph winds at the intersection of 14th and Frontier. |
| April 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Debris reported on the west side of town. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | Report of trees and tree limbs down. High winds and heavy rain forced two cars down an embankment off the Wakefield Causeway. Two individuals needed to be transported to area hospitals with indirect injuries following the accidents. |
| July 2001 | Flash Flood | Clay Center | - | Heavy rains caused flash flooding in Clay Center and rural areas of Clay county. |
| September 1998 | Heavy Rain | Clay Center | - | Heavy rains fell across Clay county during the evening hours. Clay Center received 4.97 inches of rain but there were public reports of as much as 6 to 7 inches south and east of Clay Center. A road east of Clay Center was flooded for a time. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Clay Center | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay Center | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Clay Center | - | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Hail | Clay Center | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Center Downtown Historic District (Additional Documentation) | under 500 feet | 2020 | |
| Clay Center Carnegie Library | under 500 feet | 1987 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 73000746 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Clay County | All 4 listed properties in this county. |
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