Clay City

History

In the early 1800s, Solomon Harter Mueller (later Miller) came to Clay City with his Cherokee wife (later Ida) and 6 children from West Virginia to establish a farm and grinding mill. He later built a smokehouse, general store, and milinary shop. Solomon also brought his brother George C. with his wife Caroline and 5 children. Solomon and Ida had children: Isom, Mary, Otto, Roy, Louise, and Zella, all born in Clay City. Louise's great-grandchildren, Wallace and Caroline, left Clay City for St. Louis. Paul George left for Ohio and ultimately lost oil and mineral rights in Clay City. In 1810, John McCawley and Seth Evans were traveling west from Fort Vincennes along the old Buffalo Trace when one of their horses died. McCawley sent his companion back for another horse. McCawley stayed behind in a cabin built on the west bank of the Little Wabash River just south and east of the future Clay City. This made McCawley the first white man to settle in this area. McCawley later decided to build a stagecoach stop and trading center on the location, which was known as McCawley's Tavern. Clay County was created by an act of the legislature on December 23, 1824. On Tuesday, March 8, 1825, at John McCawley's place, the first county commissioners' court assembled for the new county of Clay. In 1825, Daniel May donated of land, just over west of McCawley's Tavern, to the county for the purpose of constructing a courthouse. This land is one block south of US 50 and to the west of what is now South Main Street. This area had previously been known as Hubbardsville but was renamed Maysville. A two-room courthouse was constructed in 1825, and court was held at Maysville until 1841, when it was moved to the new and present county seat, Louisville. In 1855, after the Ohio…

Geography

Clay City is located in southeastern Clay County about southwest of the Little Wabash River. U.S. Route 50 passes through the southern side of the village, leading west to Flora and east to Olney. Louisville, the Clay County seat, is to the northwest. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Clay City has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  220
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  197
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  171
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  164
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  156
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  154
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  126
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  123

Most recent

• M 3.51 — 2026-06-29
  6 km NE of West Salem, Illinois
• M 2.58 — 2025-08-09
  2 km ESE of Cynthiana, Indiana
• M 3.26 — 2025-05-13
  7 km SSW of Lerna, Illinois
• M 3.07 — 2023-12-18
  5 km WNW of Waltonville, Illinois
• M 2.58 — 2023-10-26
  6 km SSE of Herrick, Illinois
• M 2.73 — 2023-09-10
  9 km E of Parkersburg, Illinois