National Historic Landmark -- Clay, West Virginia -- Clay County
The Old Clay County Courthouse has been standing on a hill overlooking the town of Clay, West Virginia, since 1902. It was designed in the Eclectic style by Ohio architect Frank L. Packard, who also designed Parkersburg High School and the Marion County Courthouse. Each floor of the large square building is styled distinctively and is separated by a limestone beltcourse. The whole is topped with a domed cupola. The ground floor is of blonde brick fashioned with horizontal stripes, simple Beaux Arts windows, and a small portico framed by coupled Doric columns. The upper floor is of smooth brick facing ornamented with Frankish, inset arched brick window frames and large double-hung windows topped with semi-circle fanlights. The courthouse, currently used as offices for Clay County Magistrate and other officials, has been the site of famous trials, including that of the 1953 Roscoe Bail Murder born out of the Great Widen Coal Strike.
External Links
Nomination Form PDFClay County Historical Society
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