Clay County

Clay County was created from parts of Early and Randolph counties in 1854.  It was named for Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky.  There are two incorporated municipalities within the county:  Fort Gaines, the county seat, and Bluffton.

Fort Gaines grew up around a fort on the Chattahoochee River established to protect settlers during the Creek Indian Wars.  The town, named for the fort's builder, General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, became a shipping point for cotton planters for many miles on both sides of the Chattahoochee River.  It remained a key market until about 1858, when railroads replaced river freight.

 Clay County Courthouse

Clay County Official Website

Clay County Demographic Profile