Clay County, Arkansas

History

When Clay County was created as Arkansas's 67th county on 24 March 1873 (along with Baxter County), it was named Clayton County after John M. Clayton, then a member of the Arkansas Senate and a brother of then-U.S. Senator Powell Clayton, though some sources suggest it may have been named for Powell Clayton instead.

Two years later on 6 December 1875, the county's name was shortened to "Clay" by the Arkansas General Assembly. Some claim it was renamed for the statesman Henry Clay, while others say John M. Clayton remained its official namesake. The name change apparently was inspired by lingering distrust of Powell Clayton, as he had declared martial law and suspended elections in the county in 1868 when he was Governor of Arkansas and it was still part of Greene County.

The first county seat was Corning, established in 1873, with the arrival of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, as the first incorporated town in the county. The county seat was moved to Boydsville in 1877, in what was known as "Old Bradshaw Field", because people living east of the Black and Cache Rivers had difficulty getting to Corning during the flood season. However, this caused problems for those living west of the rivers, and in 1881 Corning was re-established as the seat of the Western District, with Boydsville remaining the seat for the Eastern District. With the arrival of the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad in 1882, other towns such as Greenway, Rector and Piggott experienced growth. In 1887, the Eastern District seat was moved to Piggott, and the dual county seat system remains in place today. Important county functions (such as the Quorum Court) alternate between Piggott and Corning as their venues.

In the early 20th century, Clay, Greene, and Craighead counties had sundown town policies forbidding African Americans from living in the area.

On 6 April 1972, Sheriff Douglas Batey and deputies Glen Ray Archer and Troy Key were shot and killed while trying to serve a warrant on Bert Grissom. Grissom opened fire as soon as the men stepped out of their car. He later surrendered without resistance to another deputy, and was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. William Thomas Pond became sheriff, but he died in an automobile accident on 8 June 1973. Four of the five police officers who have lost their lives serving the Clay County Sheriff's Office died in these two incidents.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 641 sqmi, of which 639 sqmi is land and 2.0 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-57 (Future).svg|23px]] Future Interstate 57
• [[Image:US 49 (1961).svg|23px]] U.S. Highway 49
• [[Image:US 62 (1961).svg|23px]] U.S. Highway 62
• [[Image:US 67 (1961).svg|23px]] U.S. Highway 67
• [[Image:Arkansas 90.svg|23px]] Highway 90
• [[Image:Arkansas 119.svg|25px]] Highway 119
• [[Image:Arkansas 139.svg|25px]] Highway 139

Adjacent counties

• Butler County, Missouri (north)
• Dunklin County, Missouri (east)
• Greene County (south)
• Randolph County (west)
• Ripley County, Missouri (northwest)

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 14,552. The median age was 43.9 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.4% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.2% of the population.

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 6,176 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.5% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 7,470 housing units, of which 17.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.0% were owner-occupied and 29.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.4%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 17,609 people, 7,417 households, and 5,073 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 /mi2. There were 8,498 housing units at an average density of 13 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.1% from two or more races. 0.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,417 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.6% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $25,345, and the median income for a family was $32,558. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $17,146 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,512. About 13.4% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 22.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

County Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Clay County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.

District Judge: David Copelin

The composition of the Quorum Court after the 2024 elections is 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

• District 1: Neal Smith (R)
• District 2: Joseph C. Henderson (D)
• District 3: Patrick Patterson (R)
• District 4: D. David Cagle (R)
• District 5: Brad Green (R)
• District 6: Dennis Haines (R)
• District 7: Randy Kingston (R)
• District 8: George E. Lowe (D)
• District 9: David Hatcher (R)

Additionally, the townships of Clay County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:

• Bennett & Lemmons: Jeff Bradish (R)
• Bradshaw & Haywood: Shain Casebier (R)
• Clark: James W. Harmon (R)
• Cleveland & North Kilgore: Michael Gleghorn (R)
• East Oak Bluff: James Todd Watson (R)
• Liddell & Chalk Bluff: Matthew Vancil (R)
• North St. Francis: Andrew Rathel (R)
• Payne & Swain: David Dean Taylor (R)
• Pollard: Rob Chandler (R)
• South St. Francis: Tim Boyd (R)
• West Oak Bluff: Terry Robertson (R)

Politics

While Clay County was once a Democratic stronghold, in recent decades it has swung hard towards the Republicans. The county voted Democratic in every presidential election from Reconstruction until 1960 with comfortable margins. It shifted back and forth during the latter part of the 20th century, with four Republican wins in 1960, 1968, 1972, and 1984. Since 1992, however, the county has shifted to the right in every presidential election. Flipping red in 2004, each successive Republican has garnered a greater share of the vote, culminating in Donald Trump's nearly 80% win in 2024, the highest share ever for a Republican candidate.

Economy

Agriculture is the cornerstone of Clay County's economy. Farmers throughout the county grow a wide variety of crops. Rice is the dominant crop, but significant amounts of cotton, soybeans, corn, hay, and milo are also grown. Industry is limited to a handful of factories located in the cities of Piggott, Corning, and Rector.

Education

Public education of elementary and secondary school students is provided by:

• Corning School District
• Greene County Tech School District
• Piggott School District
• Rector School District

Communities

Cities

• Corning (county seat)
• Greenway
• Knobel
• Peach Orchard
• Piggott (county seat)
• Pollard
• Rector
• St. Francis

Towns

• Datto
• McDougal
• Nimmons
• Success

Unincorporated community

• Scatterville
• Moark
• Palatka

Townships

• Bennett-Lemmons (McDougal)
• Bradshaw-Haywood (Greenway)
• Brown-Carpenter (Success)
• Cache-Wilson (Knobel)
• Chalk Bluff-Liddell (part of St. Francis)
• Clark (Peach Orchard)
• Cleveland-North Kilgore (part of Corning)
• East Oak Bluff-Blue Cane (part of Rector)
• Gleghorn-South Kilgore (part of Corning)
• Johnson
• Knob
• Nelson (Datto)
• North St. Francis (part of Piggott)
• Payne-Swain (Nimmons)
• Pollard (Pollard)
• South St. Francis (part of Piggott)
• West Oak Bluff (part of Rector)

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Clay County, Arkansas". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "Clay County".
4. "Brief History of Clay County, Arkansas (CouchGenWeb.com)".
5. Stout, Scot. (7 March 2012). "Early History of the County Seats and Courthouses of Clay County, Arkansas". The ARGenWeb Project.
6. [https://portal.arkansas.gov/?agency=Clay%20County Clay County (Local.Arkansas.gov)] ("Senator James M. Clayton", probably referring to John M. Clayton)
7. "Clay County, Arkansas".
8. "History & Architecture: Arkansas Historic Preservation Program".
9. Neville, A. W.. (2 March 1945). "Backward Glances". The Paris News.
10. (22 August 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau.
12. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
14. (27 March 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
15. (2 April 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
16. "State & County & pie QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
18. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
19. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
20. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
21. "Quorum Courts".
22. "Office of County Judge".
23. "Clay {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties".
24. "2022 General Election County, District Officials Updated June 27, 2022".
25. "Clay County, Arkansas, elections, 2024".
26. "Election Night Reporting".
27. "What is a Constable?".
28. "Election Night Reporting".
29. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
30. (27 February 2024}} - Note the 13080 and boundary indicates that Peach Orchard is in a part of Greene County Tech district territory surrounded by [[Corning School District]] territory. [https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/peach-orchard-clay-county-6164/ The article in] {{Webarchive). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Clay County, AR". [[U.S. Census Bureau]]}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st05_ar/schooldistrict_maps/c05021_clay/DC20SD_C05021_SD2MS.txt Text list] - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st05_ar/c05021_clay/DC10SD_C05021_001.pdf 2010 map] {{Webarchive.
31. "AR Census Data - Arkansas Economic Development Institute".
32. "2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Clay County, AR". U. S. Census Bureau.
33. "Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision". [[United States Census Bureau]].