Clay Center in Clay County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Clay Center
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 14, 2025
1. Clay Center Marker
The town of Clay Center was laid out in the summer of 1879. An election on November 4, 1879, confirmed Clay Center as the location for the Clay County seat, following months of heated competition with rivals Sutton and Harvard. W. D. Young erected the first building on the site, a frame structure, which was used as the temporary courthouse. In February, 1887, Clay Center became an incorporated village.
Industrial development began in 1903 when M. M. Johnson built a factory to manufacture Old Trusty poultry incubators and brooders that were sold nationwide. The factory provided employment for hundreds of local citizens. The Johnson Company established radio station KMMJ in 1925 to promote its products, and the station made Clay Center a well-known and respected name in farm homes throughout the Midwest.
Clay Center experienced dramatic change in 1942 when a Naval Ammunition Depot was built just west of town to produce bombs and shells during World War II. This property was later transferred to the U. S. Department of Agriculture and has been designated by Congress as the Roman L. Hruska U. S. Meat Animal Research Center.
Erected by Clay Center Centennial Committee and Nebraska State Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
this page online
Location. 40° 31.485′ N, 98° 3.366′ W. Marker is in Clay Center, Nebraska, in Clay County. It is on West Johnson Street (State Highway 180) just west of North Alexander Avenue, on the left when traveling west. The marker is located near the northeast corner of the Clay County Museum grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 316 West Glenvil Street, Clay Center NE 68933, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Smoky Hills and in Eastern Nebraska. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and on the prairies. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Harvard (approx. 6.8 miles away); Woodmen Hall (approx. 6.8 miles away); Harvard Jail (approx. 6.8 miles away); Midair Collision of B-17 Bombers (approx. 6.8 miles away); Harvard Army Air Field (approx. 6.8 miles away); Harvard Veterans Memorial (approx. 6.8 miles away); Harvard's 1915 Carnegie Library (approx. 6.9 miles away); Fairfield Carnegie Library (approx. 7 miles away).
Also see . . .
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 14, 2025
2. Clay Center Marker
Looking south from West Johnson Street.
1. Clay County, Nebraska History (Clay County Archives).
Excerpt: The earliest settlers arrived in what is now Clay County in 1857, but major settlements did not occur until the 1870's. In 1864, and again in 1866, Indian raids drove many residents of the area from their homes. On September 11, 1871, the acting Nebraska governor, William H. James, authorized an election for the purpose of county organization. Sutton was selected as the county seat and the county was named after Henry Clay.(Submitted on November 3, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Like other Nebraska counties, there was controversy over the permanent location of the county seat. In a series of bitterly fought elections, Harvard, Sutton, Fairfield, and Clay Center all vied for the prize. It was not until the election of November 7, 1879, that Clay Center was permanently fixed as the county seat where it remains today.
2. Clay Center History (NEGenweb).
(from the History of the State of Nebraska by A. T. Andreas) Excerpt: The first building erected on the site was a large one-story frame, belonging to W. D. Young, and used by the county for a court house, and was built in May, 1879. The next building was a restaurant(Submitted on November 3, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)belonging to J. N. Mills, erected in June, 1879, and, in July, the post office was brought from Marshall, about two miles east.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 14, 20253. Clay County CourthouseIt is located 3 blocks south of the Clay Center historical marker, on West Fairfield Street.
In January, 1881, W. D. Young built a carpenter shop, which was occupied June 1 by Mrs. E. C. Tout and in which she kept a general store. The next building was a law office which was built in March, 1880, by S. A. Searle, and, following this, was the erection of a storeroom, by S. A. Allen, in which for a short time he kept a stock of drugs.
The contract for the erection of the court house was given to W. D. Young, in February, 1880, and, in the following May, work was commenced upon the building, which was completed by the 1st of November. It is a large two-story brick structure, 47x64 feet in dimensions, and is capped with a large and substantial dome.
A church edifice was erected in December, 1880, by the Christians, who had hitherto been holding services in a country schoolhouse, south of where the town now stands. A schoolhouse was built in July, 1881, in which was taught the first school in the town by Mrs. Charles Wagner. A second church was established in February, 1882, by the Congregationalists, with thirty members, and Rev. G. A. Taylor, pastor.
3. "Old Trusty" (Old Trusty Antiques & Collectors Show) .
Excerpt: The name Old Trusty was hatched in 1901 as M.M. Johnson of Clay Center, NE was searching for an appropriate trademark for his newly designed incubator. Following the success of the "SureHatch Incubator" in 1898 and Johnson's subsequent sell-out to business partners in 1901, several hundred incubators were sold under the trademark "Johnson's Best". Johnson however found the name "flavored of braggadocio" and enlisted family and friends to help him select a more suitable name for the new and improved incubator. Several names were discussed but none proved satisfactory. Johnson's wife believed that "the name would answer every purpose if they could get people to look at what the incubator did instead of the name." About that time in the discussion, the Johnson's Great Dane dog TRUSTY, "came around the corner with a wag of the tail". Mrs. Johnson's face glowed as she proclaimed, "let's call the incubator OLD TRUSTY! We have an incubator that stands on its record and the name OLD TRUSTY is appropriate."(Submitted on November 3, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 86 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 3, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
