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The Clay County Courthouse is one of the oldest courthouses in the state of Tennessee to be used for holding court. All the original records from the beginnings of the court system to the present are housed in the courthouse.
The courthouse was built as a part of the contract system in 1872 to build the public buildings for the new county seat, Celina. Completed on October 1, 1873, the courthouse was built by D. L. Dow of Cookeville at a cost of $9999. The bricks for the courthouse were made from the clay dirt taken from the public square, and the lumber was dressed by hand. In 1985 4-H club members removed the plaster from one of the original fireplaces and installed a poplar mantle so that the interior of the courtroom would resemble the original. The Clay County Courthouse is listed with the National Registry of Historical Buildings.
The Cordell Hull Law office has been moved many times, and changed from a three-room building to two. With the help of the State of Tennessee and Museum Committee, the building will be moved to a permanent location next to the museum on Brown Street. Plans for complete restoration have not been finalized. Milton C.Sidwell used the building in conjunction with Hull during the early years of Hull's practice.
Cordell Hull used the building as a law office in 1891. Hull was elected special judge by the Clay County Bar, then elected judge in April 1903. He was then appointed judge by Governor Frazier, and elected to the same position in August of the same year. He pursued a political move in 1892.
After a stint with the U.S. Army, he returned to Celina in 1901. He was elected to congressional terms from 1907-1921. Other accomplishments of Hull include:
He Died on July 23, 1955.
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Jane
Hembree Crowley
Charles
Reeves, Jr.,
Clay County Coordinators
This page last updated: 27 July 2000
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