| Clay County Courthouse | |
| Location: | Main St., Hayesville, North Carolina |
| Coordinates: | 35.0456°N -83.8181°W |
| Architect: | William Gould Bulgin |
| Builder: | J.S. Anderson |
| Architecture: | Italianate |
| Added: | October 29, 1975 |
| Refnum: | 75001250 |
The Clay County Courthouse is located on Main Street in Hayesville, Clay County, North Carolina. The T-shaped two-story brick building was built in 1888, and is a prominent local example of vernacular Italianate architecture. Its most visible feature is a three-story square tower, which projects for half its width from the main facade, and through which entry to the building is gained.[1]
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Early county trials and commissioners’ meetings were held at Fort Hembree. The fort was built in present-day Hayesville by Tennessee militia in 1837. A residence was used for court from 1861 until 1866 while a wood-frame courthouse was built on the south side of the current town square near the corner of Curtis and Sanderson streets.[2] [3] On May 20, 1870, an inmate escaped from the county jail and lit the courthouse on fire overnight in an attempt to destroy his records. As a result, the building and all early county records were lost.[4] After the fire a building operated by the Masonic lodge was leased and used as a courthouse. From 1887 to 1889 court was held in a Presbyterian church.
On August 15, 1887, William Gould Bulgin of Macon County presented Clay County commissioners with plans for a new two-story brick courthouse. The blueprints were fashioned after the layout of the courthouse that Bulgin had designed for neighboring Franklin in 1881. The following month commissioners opened bids for construction.[5]
Captain J.S. Anderson was awarded the contract. Bricks were made in Hayesville and nearby Murphy for the building.[6] Construction was completed on November 5, 1889, at a cost of $7,799.50. The building featured high ceilings to cool it in the summer and walls two feet thick. The ground floor was composed of offices, each with a fireplace for heat. One courtroom with about 130 seats was on the second level. Cuspidors were located throughout the building.
In the early 1900s, the nascent Clay County School District evidently held summer teacher training institutes at the courthouse.[7] In 1912 the original wooden floor had to be replaced with concrete. Oil heat was installed around 1967. Court was held only twice per year until approximately 1969, when a new district court system began. The building's interior was renovated in 1972 and its steeple was replaced in 1990. A room in the courthouse served as Clay County’s public library for a number of years before a new library was constructed in 1967.
In October 2005 construction began on a 22-acre modern judicial complex 1miles west of downtown. The new two-story justice center cost approximately $6.7 million and includes an atrium, 150-seat courtroom, law library, tax office, registrar of deeds, clerk of courts, district attorney's office, multi-purpose room, and probation offices. The building was completed in 2007 and the county's official business moved away from downtown.[8]
Construction on an adjacent 48-inmate jail began in January 2007. It was completed on May 31, 2008, at a cost of $4.4 million. Construction on a new sheriff's office at the site began in June 2008.[9] The complex now includes the offices for multiple county agencies including the health department, transportation department, department of social services, EMS, and 911 center.
After official county business moved out of the historic courthouse in 2007, its interior was stripped and walls began to deteriorate. When ceilings were opened for ductwork, it was discovered that the courtroom floor and the building's roof beams were both on the verge of collapse and had to be repaired. In 2017 Clay County deeded the courthouse property to the Town of Hayesville. The town leases it to the Clay County Communities Revitalization Association, which was founded in 1998.[10] The CCCRA took on the job of raising $1.2 million to preserve the structure. Renovation began in 2017 to turn the building into a community and event venue.[11]
The new venue, dubbed The Beal Center in honor of local benefactor Ron Beal, opened on July 21, 2018.[12] [13] The 2,200-square-foot courtroom is now used for weddings, dances, performances, trade expos and other events. It accommodates up to 175 people. The building now includes an elevator, kitchen, meeting room, and gift shop.