Clay County, Iowa
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 9 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1981. Most listings are in or near Spencer, Peterson, Dickens.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Iowa is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Clay titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP6 of 9 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
9 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Adams-Higgins House | Spencer | 1984 |
| Clay County Courthouse | Spencer | 1981 |
| Grand Avenue Historic Commercial District | Spencer | 2004 |
| Kirchner, Philip and Anna Parrish, Log House | Peterson | 1993 |
| Little Sioux River Bridge | Spencer | 1998 |
| Logan Center School No.5 | Dickens | 2001 |
| North Grand Avenue Residential Historic District | Spencer | 2014 |
| Spencer High School and Auditorium | Spencer | 2010 |
| Wanata State Park Picnic Shelter | Peterson | 1990 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBClay was formed in 1851 (1851-01-15) from unknown / original county.
CLAY created from Non-County Area 9 attached to POLK.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusClay County population from 1860 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 4,248 | 13,401 | 15,660 | 17,762 | 18,103 | 18,504 | 19,576 | 17,372 | 16,384 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS23 cemeteries and 1 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 23 of 23 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Burr Oak Cemetery |
| Clay Center Cemetery |
| Dickens Cemetery |
| Evergreen Cemetery |
| Fairview Cemetery |
| Fanny Fern Cemetery |
| First Reformed Church Cemetery |
| Garfield Township Cemetery |
| Liberty Cemetery |
| Lincoln Cemetery |
| Logan Township Cemetery |
| Lone Tree Cemetery |
| North Lawn Memorial Cemetery |
| Oakland Cemetery |
| Osborn Cemetery |
| Prairie Creek Cemetery |
| Riverside Cemetery |
| Rosehill Cemetery |
| Swedish Lutheran Cemetery |
| Tri Mello Cemetery |
| Welsh Pioneer Cemetery |
| Willow Creek Cemetery |
| Zion Methodist Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 1 of 1
| Name |
|---|
| Maclay |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Clay County, Iowa
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