The future Clay County had been inhabited for thousands of years by theIlliniwek Indians (the remains of an Indian village's burial ground are still visible west ofIngraham). White explorers used or cleared a trail between the future settlements ofSaint Louis in Missouri, toVincennes in Indiana; this became a mail route in 1805. The first white settler (McCauley, from Kentucky) built a cabin in 1809 near this road at its intersection with a trail fromVandalia toMt. Carmel. He was driven out by the Indians, but had returned by 1819, by which time other cabins had been constructed in the area, which was originally called Habbardsville. The Indians were removed from the area in 1828.[5]
The first appointed commissioners met on March 8, 1825, to organize the county government. Land for county building purposes was donated near Habbardsville. The commissioners accepted the offer, renamed it Maysville, and had a two-room courthouse erected on the property by the end of the year.[7] The seat remained at that location (about a mile south of the present community ofClay City) through 1841, and in 1842 the county government began functioning inLouisville, being at the center of the county's area.[5]
The first railroad line through Clay County was laid between 1850 and 1854, theOhio and Mississippi Line.[5] By 1855–56, theIllinois Central Railroad had also been constructed across the northwest corner of the county.
Clay County was reduced to its current size in 1841 by the creation of Richland County.
The low rolling hills of Clay County are devoted to agricultural production. The various drainage areas are still largely wooded. TheLittle Wabash River flows southeastward through the center of the county, while Muddy Creek drains the eastern portion (the meanders of Little Muddy delineate a portion of the county's east border withRichland County). Buck Creek, in the south part of the county, flows eastward and joins the Little Wabash aboveClay City. Raccoon Creek flows southeastward from the lower part of the county intoWayne County.[8] The highest point on the terrain (646 feet/197 meters ASL) is a small point along the western border withMarion County.[9]
The county produced excellent timber during the nineteenth century, and some sandstone and limestone. The soil is light and not considered adapted to farming on a large scale.[5]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,200 km2), of which 468 square miles (1,210 km2) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km2) (0.3%) is water.[10]
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Louisville have ranged from a low of 21 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −25 °F (−32 °C) was recorded in January 1904 and a record high of 111 °F (44 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.49 inches (63 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in June.[12]
Clay County, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 13,815 people, 5,697 households, and 3,790 families in the county.[28] The population density was 29.5 inhabitants per square mile (11.4/km2). There were 6,404 housing units at an average density of 13.7 per square mile (5.3/km2).[10] The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.[28] In terms of ancestry, 21.7% wereGerman, 14.6% wereAmerican, 12.6% wereIrish, and 8.6% wereEnglish.[29]
Of the 5,697 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 42.2 years.[28]
The median income for a household in the county was $38,016 and the median income for a family was $48,659. Males had a median income of $38,191 versus $27,347 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,802. About 11.2% of families and 16.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.[30]
As part ofUpland Southern-settled Southern Illinois, Clay County is powerfully Republican. No Democratic presidential nominee has won a majority in Clay County sinceLyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide, and typically for the region recent presidential elections have seen dramatic declines in Democratic support.[31]
United States presidential election results for Clay County, Illinois[32]
