In1812, Sinnett Triplet was the first known settler to this area. He had a campon what is now Sinnett Branch off of Lily Fork of Buffalo Creek, just a fewmiles from the town of Clay. DavidMcOlgin was the next to settle in the area, he settled on the North side of theElk River. By 1839, there were 28 families living in Clay County. It was a common occurrence to see peopleriding logs down the river to Charleston to sell them and the only way back wasto walk.
OnMarch 29, 1858 Clay County was formed from parts of Nicholas and BraxtonCounties. Both Clay County and the cityof Clay were named for a famous statesman, Henry Clay, who was a member of theUnited States Senate and was also the United States Secretary of State in the19th century. After ClayCounty was formed by the Virginia General Assembly, they held their firstcounty court meeting at McOlgin Farm, presently the city of Clay, which wasfirst called Marshal, then Henry for a little while. There was an internal argument in Clay duringthe civil war. There are records of theunion soldiers in Clay from 1861-1865. Several people from the southern part of the county were taken to amilitary prison in Camp Chase, OH during this conflict,
Thecity of Clay was incorporated in 1895. In the 1890’s, railroads came to the city. The coal miners of Clay produced 2,860 tonsof coal in 1904. Much of the coal thatwas produced in Widen, which was owned by Joseph G. Bradley. Locally known asJ.G. Bradley (the camp ground in Clay was named after him.) Clay was producing 900,000 tons of coal ayear in 1960. The deep mining productionslowed way down by 2001. It rebounded by2009 and produced 500,000 tons a year.
Atone time, Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad serviced the county, whichconnected Widen to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Dunbar, WV. Then it wasshipped from there to national markets. The dwindling coal industry played a major part in the population. By1940, the population was around 15,206, but the loss of the miner’s jobs causeda big decrease in population in the 1950’s and 1960’s, it was lowered to around9,330 in 1970. The coal mine was sold in1959.
Thegolden delicious apple was found on the Mullins farm around the 1890’s. The apple was originally called the MullinsYellow Seedling and Annit Apple before it became the Golden Delicious. Anderson Mullins sold the tree and all therights to the apple to Stark Brothers Nursery, who was the first to market theapple as the companion to the Red Delicious in 1914. The Golden Delicious apple became the statefruit in February 20, 1995 by the Senate. Clay County has been hosting the Golden Delicious Apple Festival since1972. And the 42nd annualfestival will come to Clay on September 17th thru 20ththis year.
Researchedby: Carrie Nicholas
