The Clay County Courthouse, located in Spencer, Iowa, United States, was built in 1901. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. The courthouse is the fourth building the county has used for court functions and county administration.HistoryA commission chose Spencer Township as Clay County’s first county seat. Voters chose Peterson instead and allocated $6,000 for a courthouse. When the contractor submitted a bill for $7,500 he received $6,900. In 1871, the county seat moved to Spencer and officials constructed a courthouse for $1,333. The offices gradually outgrew the structure and they constructed a new courthouse for $4,435. The old courthouse was used for a barn, a cement block factory and then remodeled into two houses. Construction of the present facility began in 1900 the total cost was $60,000. The red stone Classical Revival building features a bronze covered dome.
