Old Clay County Courthouse (West Virginia)

Old Clay County Courthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Show map of West Virginia Show map of the United States
Interactive map showing the location of Old Clay County Courthouse
Location	Clay, West Virginia
Coordinates	38°27′36″N81°5′0″W / 38.46000°N 81.08333°W / 38.46000; -81.08333
Built	1902
Architect	Packard, Frank L.
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No.	79002573
Added to NRHP	April 20, 1979 [1]

The Old Clay County Courthouse in Clay, West Virginia was designed by Frank Packard and built in 1902. The Beaux-Arts building was located on a hill overlooking the county seat. The courthouse was the site of three notable trials: the Sarah Ann Legg trial of 1905, the first trial of a woman in Clay County for murder, the Booger Hole trial of 1917, in which citizens nearly lynched the defendants, and the Oscar Bail trial of 1953, in which Bail was convicted of killing a mine guard in the Great Widen Coal Strike. ^[2]

Since a new courthouse opened across the street, the old courthouse houses magistrate's offices and the county extension agent.

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. Michael J. Pauley and Rodney S. Collins (October 27, 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Nomination: Old Clay County Courthouse" (PDF). National Park Service.