A 150th Birthday Celebration was held for The Grand Old Lady of Clay County on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, at the Historic Clay County Courthouse, located on the square in Celina, Tennessee.
Several locals and even a few out-of-towners stopped by for the celebration, enjoying cupcakes, brownies, ice cream and conversation. Those attending were able to tour the beautiful building, which is currently under renovation. In the past year, the windows have been replaced through donations from community members. Some being the family of the judges who have ruled in the upstairs courtroom over those 150 years. Each window has a plaque noting the donors who made this possible. The exterior doors have also been renovated by neighboring Monroe County’s Michael Watson.
The conversion of the Historic Clay County Courthouse is being made possible by the Tennessee Arts Commission through the Preforming Arts Program Creative Place Making Rural Arts Facilities Fund for rural communities to help renovate and expand arts and cultural facilities resulting in positive economic and community outcomes.
The historic building houses the radio station and a Rolley Hole Museum full of treasures for visitors to view and learn about. It also has something fascinating happening upstairs. Walking up the beautiful wooden staircase, original to the courthouse, one would never expect to find a small theater in the old courtroom, The Clay County Performing Arts Center complete with added curtains and lighting. It will be used for musical and theatrical performances.
Curator of the Historic Clay County Courthouse and director of the Rolley Hole Marble Museum Thomas Watson welcomed the crowd, noting the additions and presenting a history of the courthouse and future plans. He told of the most famous trial held at the Courthouse, noting that if anyone has a copy of the book “It took a Worried Mind,” written by Welby Lee, that they know of the story.
He also shared stories of marriages held at the Clay County Courthouse, explaining that so many would drive to Celina to be married, as their hospital could produce blood test results within the day making the 10-day waiting period unnecessary. This drew couples from as far away as Indiana. The event was a great success. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful day and loved learning all about The Grand Old Lady.
Special thanks to anyone involved in the planning of this event and to Thomas Watson, who is a wealth of knowledge of history in Clay County. If you would like to tour the courthouse or visit the museum, you may email Thomas at w.thomas63!@yahoo.com
-Terry Ferguson Simpson, Monroe County reporter and Archivist
Thomas Watson, curator, welcomes guests.
Interpretative Panels about Clay County History
A local radio station is operated from the historic courthouse by Thomas Watson.
The Rolley Hole Museum has been completed.
The courtroom has now become a first-class theater.