Clay County West Virginia is Appalachian charm second to none. Minus stoplights and traffic jams, the county’s winding mountain roads offer great journeys for the motorist and bicyclist alike. Lake Sampson, the Elk River and Wallback Public Hunting Area provide the perfect back drop for weekend or week long year round fun.
Family Fun is the name of the game in Clay County. Each Saturday night between Memorial and Labor Day weekends, non profit WYAP-LP offers free outdoor music shows featuring talented West Virginia artists. While in the county, tune to our community radio station, 101.7 FM. Both Summer Jam and WYAP-LP are located in downtown Clay on the FasChek parking lot.
The mighty Elk River meanders the entire length of the county with 46 miles of kayaking, canoeing, tubing, swimming, and fishing excitement. River Access points are marked RA on the map and offer year round opportunities to the Elk.
On the Saturday before July 4th, the Town Improvement Council hosts Small Town America Celebration featuring a county wide yard sale, pageant, and music show.
The third week in September brings the annual Golden Delicious Festival. The four days of family fun along Main Street in downtown Clay offers good food, great crafts, fireworks, games for the kids, music excellence, carnival rides and parades. To find out more about the festival and our outdoor drama, Solomon’s Secret, go to: www.claygoldendeliciousfestival.com.
Mid October is the usual peak time for Fall colors, so plan to visit and enjoy our 342 miles of colorful splendor while traveling the back roads of our county.
Clay County West Virginia is your destination spot for weekend or week long vacation pleasure. Our laid back life style also makes a perfect setting to grow a business, spend retirement years, or raise a family.
Come see what makes Clay County the best kept secret in West Virginia.
1.
Curry’s Cabin. This rustic, 100 year old farmhouse is the perfect den. Sitting on 80 private acres, it borders the Wallback Public Hunting Area, in the head of “Booger Hole” Holler. The property has a varied habitat of woods and meadows. Trails and roads provide walking, biking and ATV riding opportunities. Sighting of deer, turkey and small game are common, as well as the occasional “Boogerhaints”... For the angler, fishing for bass, walleye, musky, catfish and trout in the nearby Elk River and Laurel Creek is only a short drive away. From Big Otter (Exit 40 I-79) take Route 16 South. Go about 2.5 miles, take first right onto Rush Fork Rd. Go up Rush Fork about 1.8 miles. Take next right. Actually, it is straight onto a gravel road. Do not cross the small bridge on the left fork of the road. The cabin is about 1.25 miles from this intersection. Go past church (Rush Fork Community Church on left), take next right and continue up hill until you reach the top. Turn left into driveway at top of hill. You made it! Online: http://curryscabin.com 0r toll free 1-866-406 5111
2.
Obrion Oval Speedway. P.O. Box 206, Duck, WV 25063
Dirt track racing fun during the summer months. See web site for schedule www.obrionoval.com. Easy to find and easy access. From Clay turn left off Route 4 on Obrion Creek Road. For more information call Mark Thompson at (304) 587-364-5209 or e-mail cmchap@myway.com.
3.
Summer Jam outdoor music show each Saturday night in downtown Clay with local musicians, heard on non profit community radio WYAP-LP 101.7 FM and around the world on www.wyap.com. Once on home page, click the blinking ON AIR button and turn up your computer speakers. Join us in person at the FasChek parking lot in the town of Clay and turn on your radio.
4.
One of two remaining cable suspension swinging bridges in the state. Two wheel drive access. Just East of downtown Clay. Bear right at Hartland bridge from Rt. 16 onto Elkherst Road. Go about 1-1/2 miles, bridge is on the left.
5.
Clay County’s big fall event is the Golden Delicious Festival or Apple Festival. Clay County is the birthplace of the Golden Delicious Apple. Held the third week in September, four days of family fun including parades, music, crafts, good food, fireworks, and stuff for the kids. Details at www.claygoldendeliciousfestival.com
6.
See the live outdoor drama “Solomon’s Secret” performed every year in conjunction with the Golden Delicious Apple Festival. Set in the rural mountains of Clay, WV, you will discover how one family has taken tremendous strides to celebrate their Native American heritage with others through a public reenactment of the Trail of Tears. For more information contact Vicki Brown 304 587-2925 or Ann Osborne 304 587-4928
7.
Historic Clay County Courthouse in downtown Clay. Still used for Magistrate duties, the upstairs courtroom is being renovated for indoor events. Genealogy library open by appointment. Call Jerry Stover 304 587-2164 for arraignments.
8.
JG Bradley Campground offers tent and RV camping along the mouth of Buffalo Creek and the Elk River. Cabin rental soon. Nestled in a valley and home to the Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad, enjoy Clay County from a quiet camp spot near downtown Clay. Cross the Dundon Bridge and turn right at signs. Easy year round access. Watch for signs. Call Roger Nutter 304 587-6055
9.
Lake Sampson, is located within five minutes of the Wallback Exit of Interstate 79. Turn on Summer Fork Road and follow signs. Easy year round access with any vehicle. Target range also available as is a level two mile graveled walking or bike trail around the 15 acre impoundment. Great for strollers and suitable for all age groups.
10.
H.E. White Elementary School Ramp Dinner. Located at Glen, West Virginia, come join us for all the Appalachian Heritage fixin’s. Call 304 548-7101 for annual dates and menu.
11.
Join us for our Annual Dinner Theatre performed each year by the Clay County High School Drama Club. For information call Crystal Gibson at 304 587-4226.
12.
Widen Cemetery – From Widen take CR 15/4 down Buffalo Creek appx. 1-2 mile. The Cemetery is on the bank across the railroad tracks. The Widen Cemetery is divided into 134 plots in 10 rows. However, only 72 known people are buried here. Coal company employees were given numbered headstones without names. Family member’s graves were marked by fieldstones. “Colored” referred to different nationalities, not necessarily African-American.
13.
Don’t forget to take in the one mile hiking trail at Clay County Park near Maysel. Graveled and nearly level trail winds in and out of the tree lined borders of our 15 plus acre County Park.
14.
Want to have a reunion or just a quiet picnic by the river? Then Mary Chilton Park on Rt. 4 is the place to go. Locally known as Spread Park, picnic shelters available, barbecue grills and easy river access. Call 587-4259.
Morris Creek WMA (9,874 acres) Clay and Kanawha counties. Located near Clendenin, primary access is from county Route 67 along Morris Creek, or county route 65 in Leatherwood Creek. The area is steep and predominantly forested with hunting opportunities for deer, squirrel, turkey and bear. In addition, more than one mile of Elk River frontage is a feature of this area. Stream access to Elk River is available in the vicinity. Boat ramps are located at Queen Shoals and the Clendenin Water Plant. Camping is not permitted. Owned by the Bruce B. Cameron Foundation, Inc. and the B.B. and Louise W. Cameron Charitable Trust. Leased and managed by WVDNR. For maps and information, contact Wildlife Resources, Box 38, French Creek, WV 26218 or phone (304) 924-6211.
Elk River – Trout Fishing and Rafting. A gem among trout streams. A fertile, alkaline, aquatic environment, the Elk River is a limestone influenced stream with free stone structure. Has a 5-mile stretch of headwater that is commonly referred to as the "Slatyfork" section. After an underground journey of about 6 miles, it re-emerges at Elk Springs, pumping up out of three huge springheads, sweetened by its subterranean limestone causeway and cooled to a trout-friendly 52 degrees. Because of three large springs, the Elk River is a true 12-month fishery
Historic Henry Clay Hotel & Restaurant 141 Main Street, Clay, WV (304) 587-4028
Clay County was created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly on March 29, 1858. It was created from parts of Braxton, Kanawha and Nicholas counties and named in honor of Henry Clay (1777-1852).
Henry Clay was born in Hanover County, Virginia on April 12, 1777. His parents moved him to Kentucky as a young boy. He was a leader of the Whig political party and represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate (1806-1807, 1810-1811, 1831-1842, 1849-1852) and in the U.S. House of Representatives (1811-1821, 1823-1825). He was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1811 and served in that capacity until 1814, and again in 1815-1820, and in 1823-1825. He also served as U.S. Secretary of State from 1825-1829. He authored the famous "Compromise of 1850," which sought to avoid the Civil War, ran unsuccessfully for President on three occasions (in 1824, 1832 and 1844), and is widely regarded by scholars as one of the greatest legislators in American political history. He was a very strong advocate for funding internal improvements, including the extension of the National Road to Wheeling. When that road was completed in 1818, Wheeling became a major trading center and rest stop for pioneers heading west. He died on June 29, 1852.
Jacob Summers was one of the earliest English settlers in the county. He built a cabin along the Elk River in 1813. A veteran of the War of 1812 against Great Britain, he married a Miss Davis and they had 14 children. He then had another seven children with his second wife, Eleanor Conrad. Jacob Summers progeny helped populate the county, and the name Summers became the most common name in the county for several generations.
The act creating Clay County declared that the county seat was to be located on the McCalgin farm, near the mouth of Buffalo Creek. It declared that the county seat was to be known as the town of Marshall. However, the local citizens generally referred to the town as Clay Court House, because the courthouse was the town's primary reason for existing and was the primary source of social and economic interaction in the community. On October 10, 1863, the state legislature changed the town's name to Henry, in honor of Henry Clay. The town's name was changed to Clay in 1927.
