Clay Center Area Cameras
About Clay Center
Clay Center is the county seat of Clay County, and it sits at the geographic center of the county. Nebraska Highway 14 runs through town and meets Nebraska Highway 41 here. The city covers about seven tenths of a square mile. The 2020 census counted 735 residents, down from 760 in 2010 and 861 in 2000. Clay Center is part of the Hastings micropolitan area.
History
The town was laid out in the summer of 1879 and a post office opened the same year. It is named after Henry Clay, the Kentucky statesman. On 4 November 1879, after months of hard campaigning against Sutton and Harvard, voters made Clay Center the county seat. W. D. Young put up the first building, a frame structure that served as a temporary courthouse. The village incorporated in February 1887.
Old Trusty and KMMJ
In 1903 M. M. Johnson opened a factory here making Old Trusty poultry incubators and brooders, which were sold across the country and gave the town steady work. In 1925 the Johnson company started radio station KMMJ to advertise its products, which carried the name of Clay Center well beyond the county.
The research center
A Naval Ammunition Depot was built west of town in 1942 to produce bombs and shells for the war. The land later passed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and became the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center.
Clay Center is the seat of Clay County, laid out in 1879 at the junction of US-6 and NE-14 after winning a hard-fought county-seat election over Sutton and Harvard. The town's name pairs the county's own name — a tribute to statesman Henry Clay — with "Center," reflecting its central location within the county.
Clay Center later became home to the "Old Trusty" incubator factory, radio station KMMJ, and the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, which occupies the site of a former World War II naval ammunition depot. Clay Center High School has long ranked above the state academic average.
Clay Center Businesses & Places
33 listings in Clay Center.
Click a category to see the businesses.
Places to Visit (1)
- Clay County Museum — History & Heritage Museums
Events & Venues (1)
- Clay County Fairgrounds — County Fair
Government & Resources (19)
- Clay Center American Legion 109 N Alexander — Senior Citizen Center
- Clay Center City Hall — City Hall
- Clay Center Housing Authority — Housing Authority
- Clay Center Police Department — Police Station
- Clay Center Post Office — Post Office
- Clay Center Public Library — Libraries
- Clay Center USDA Service Center — USDA Service Center (FSA/NRCS)
- Clay County Assessor — County Assessor
- Clay County Attorney's Office — County Attorney
- Clay County Clerk — County Clerk
- Clay County Court — County Court
- Clay County Courthouse — Court House
- Clay County Driver License Office — County Driver License
- Clay County Emergency Management — Emergency Management
- Clay County Senior Center — Senior Citizen Center
- Clay County Sheriff — County Sheriff
- Clay County Treasurer — County Treasurer
- Clay County Veterans Service Office — Veterans Office
- Clay County Weed Superintendent — County Weed Control
Community & Faith (5)
- Clay Center Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Eller Cemetery — Cemeteries
- Marshall Union Evergreen Cemetery — Cemeteries
- United Church of Christ — Congregational Church
- Zion Cemetery — Cemeteries
Education (2)
- Clay County Extension — County Extension Office
- U.S. Meat Animal Research Center — Research & Extension Center
Transportation (2)
- Clay County HandyBus — Public Transportation
- Midland Area Agency on Aging — Public Transportation
Automotive (1)
- Biltoft Truck Sales — Truck Dealership
Professional Services (1)
- Cornerstone Insurance Group — Insurance
Media (1)
- KKOP-LP 93.9 FM — Radio Station