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Clay County, South Dakota

Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.

—newspaper titles
—digitized titles
45historic places
—earliest paper
1862formed
14,967pop. 2020
29cemeteries
—CW battlefields

At a glance

Summary

The National Register of Historic Places includes 45 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1972. Most listings are in or near Vermillion, Wakonda, Gayville.

Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.

Newspapers

Library of Congress

Newspaper directory data for South Dakota is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Clay titles at the Library of Congress.

National Register of Historic Places

NPS NRHP

15 of 45 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.

45 listed properties
PropertyCityTypeListed
Anderson HomesteadHub CityDistrict1978
Andre, William, HouseGayvilleBuilding2002
Armory, Old,-VermillionVermillionBuilding2002
Austin-Whittemore HouseVermillionBuilding1972
Bluff Historic DistrictVermillionDistrict2016
Bluff View Cemetery ChapelVermillionBuilding2006
Brookman HouseVermillionBuilding2023
Building at 125 Ohio St.WakondaBuilding2002
Burbank School No. 10BurbankBuilding1996
Clay County CourthouseVermillionBuilding1983
Colton HouseVermillionBuilding2007
Downtown Vermillion Historic DistrictVermillionDistrict2003
First Baptist Church of VermillionVermillionBuilding1982
First Congregational Church, VermillionVermillionBuilding2021
First Methodist Episcopal ChurchVermillionBuilding2004
First National Bank Building of VermillionVermillionBuilding1986
Forest Avenue Historic DistrictVermillionDistrict1979
Forest Avenue Historic District (Boundary Clarification and Additional Documentation)VermillionDistrict2012
Garfield Township HallBeresfordBuilding2004
Gunderson HouseVermillionBuilding2001
Inman HouseVermillionBuilding1976
Jacobson, Basil H. & Frances, HouseVermillionBuilding2022
Johnsen, Calle Nissen, FarmGayvilleDistrict1999
Jolley Historic DistrictVermillionDistrict2022
Junker, Jens N. and Anna, FarmsteadMecklingBuilding1988
Lincoln School #12MecklingBuilding2000
Linden HouseVermillionBuilding2001
Messler, Daniel A., HomesteadBersfordBuilding2002
Old MainVermillionBuilding1973
Prentis ParkVermillionSite2001
Rice FarmVermillionBuilding1978
Sample-Lindblaum HouseWakondaBuilding1998
South Dakota Department of Trans. Br. No. 14-130-176VermillionStructure2001
South Dakota Department of Trans. Br. No. 14-133-170VermillionStructure2001
South Dakota Department of Transportation Bridge No. 14-060-032WakondaStructure2000
South Dakota Department of Transportation Bridge No. 14-088-170VermillionStructure2000
South Dakota Department of Transportation Bridge No. 14-090-042WakondaStructure2000
Spirit MoundVermillionSite1974
St. Agnes Catholic ChurchVermillionBuilding1995
University Historic DistrictVermillionDistrict1975
University of South Dakota Historic Core DistrictVermillionDistrict2025
Vermillion-Andrew Carnegie LibraryVermillionBuilding1983
Wakonda State BankWakondaBuilding2003
Willey, E. H., HouseVermillionBuilding1982
Yusten HouseVermillionBuilding2007

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.

County formation

Newberry AHCB

Clay was formed in 1862 (1862-04-10) from unknown / original county.

CLAY created by Dakota Territory in present South Dakota from non-county area.

Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

Population by decade

Census

Clay County population from 1870 to 2020 (Census historical series).

15k8,7942,6211870188019201950196020002020
1870188019001920194019501960198020002020
2,6215,0019,3169,6549,59210,99310,81013,68913,53714,967

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.

Cemeteries & historical places

USGS GNIS

29 cemeteries and 8 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.

Cemeteries — 29 of 29 listed
NameLatLon
Bethel Baptist Cemetery42.93917-97.04331
Bluff Center Cemetery (historical)42.92777-97.06838
Bluff View Cemetery42.77138-96.90559
Clay Creek Cemetery42.85145-96.979
Clay Point Cemetery42.89874-96.90655
Columkill Cemetery43.06415-97.0831
Dalesburg Baptist Cemetery42.96728-96.88521
Danefield Seventh Day Advent Cemetery43.01074-96.84587
Dowlin Cemetery42.77888-96.81114
Evergreen Cemetery42.78971-97.0906
Fairview Cemetery42.78721-96.85031
Houde Cemetery (historical)43.06943-96.87116
Hovde Cemetery43.06859-96.88393
Komstad Cemetery43.04196-96.90539
Meckling Cemetery42.82527-97.09226
Mortvedt Cemetery42.91693-97.00309
New Lodi Cemetery42.95304-97.04198
Old Lodi Cemetery42.97582-96.99115
Pleasant Valley Cemetery42.92471-97.01282
Riverside - Barton Cemetery43.04026-96.97282
Rockfield Cemetery42.93971-96.83059
Saint Agnes Calvary Cemetery42.77147-96.90741
Saint Johns Cemetery43.0697-96.90587
Saint Patricks Cemetery42.96718-97.05156
Saint Peter Greenfield Cemetery42.86082-96.86476
Saint Peters Cemetery43.06193-96.82476
Spirit Mound Cemetery42.8886-96.94281
Taylor Cemetery42.83721-97.07893
Union Cemetery42.98276-97.12254
Historical populated places — 8 of 8
NameLatLon
Bluff Center42.92083-97.08922
Glenwood43.07777-96.83504
Komstad43.03888-96.9031
Marshalltown42.94027-96.90449
Riverside43.01944-97.00588
Saybrook42.93888-97.14338
Shaw43.07916-97.15866
Star Corner43.04027-97.06422

Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.

Historical markers

HMdb link

Marker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.

Search HMdb for Clay County, South Dakota

Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.