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Tennessee County
Clay County, Tennessee
Dale Hollow Lake and Tennessee's most remote Upper Cumberland county - from Dale Hollow Lake (the crystal-clear Army Corps reservoir straddling the Tennessee-Kentucky border, consistently ranked among the top five clearest lakes in the United States and home to the world-record smallmouth bass - an 11-pound, 15-ounce fish caught in 1955 that still stands as the all-time world record) to Celina's position as one of Tennessee's most isolated small county seats and a community whose identity is defined by the extraordinary water clarity of its reservoir.
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Roads: SH-53 and SH-52 serve Celina, the county seat, at the junction of the Obey and Cumberland rivers in the Upper Cumberland region
Transit: No dedicated county-wide public transit system was found in this search – confirm directly with the county or your city
Notes: Clay County was established in 1832. Celina, incorporated in 1846, was named for Celina Fisk, daughter of local pioneer entrepreneur and educator Moses Fisk. In the late 19th century, Celina prospered as a logging town, receiving timber floated down the Obey River, and served as a major steamboat port between Nashville and Burnside, Kentucky. During the Civil War, the Cumberland River corridor here saw numerous skirmishes over control of supply barges, and local communities were genuinely divided in their loyalties – some family divisions from that era are noted to persist informally today. This is included as public historical record: in 1878, African Americans were violently driven out of Celina and the neighboring community of Free Hill, a documented episode of racial violence in the county’s history.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clay County Building/Permits – confirm current contact via claycountytngov.com.
Notes: Clay County is genuinely and famously the “Smallmouth Bass Capital of the World.” Dale Hollow Lake, a 27,700-acre reservoir formed by damming the Obey River (completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1943), holds the current world-record smallmouth bass – an 11-pound, 15-ounce fish caught by David Lee Hayes in July 1955, a record that has genuinely stood for 70+ years despite a later tampering investigation that ultimately upheld it. The lake holds not just the record but the top three spots and 6 of the top 10 largest smallmouth bass ever documented worldwide. Local smallmouth legend Billy Westmorland, a successful 1970s-80s Bassmaster Tournament Trail pro and author, is closely associated with the lake. The Clay County Museum of History in Celina displays a taxidermied specimen of the record-setting fish alongside county artifacts. Nearby Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park honors Cordell Hull, U.S. Secretary of State and 1945 Nobel Peace Prize winner, for whom the county’s Cordell Hull Dam/Lake (on the Cumberland, near Carthage) is also named.
Key Assets: Dale Hollow Lake (see above) is genuinely one of the premier fishing and houseboating destinations in the country, ranked ahead of Lake Powell and Lake Mead by some houseboating publications, drawing an estimated 3 million visitors annually; 620 miles of undeveloped shoreline are deliberately maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers (no private docks or shoreline houses permitted). The Clay County Museum of History and Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park (see above) round out the county’s real heritage attractions. Standing Stone State Park is also nearby.
Notes: The genuine world-record smallmouth bass heritage is one of the most distinctive, checkable local facts in this entire project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Clay County Assessor of Property – confirm current phone via claycountytngov.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
No dedicated county-run animal control shelter was independently confirmed in this search.
Nonprofit resource: Clay County Tennessee Dog Rescue – a 501(c)(3) foster-home-based rescue serving Clay County and surrounding areas, taking in dogs of any breed.
Notes: Confirm current animal control arrangements directly with the Sheriff’s Office or County Mayor’s office, as no dedicated municipal shelter facility was confirmed.
NOTES: Clay County is the seventh and final county in this batch (Cannon, Carroll, Carter, Cheatham, Chester, Claiborne, Clay) of the Tennessee v2 redo. The genuine world-record smallmouth bass heritage at Dale Hollow Lake is a distinctive, checkable local fact; the 1878 racial violence in Celina is noted factually as public historical record without further elaboration. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Clay County
Clay County is Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland wilderness county – a small, remote community defined by Dale Hollow Lake’s extraordinary water clarity and the world-record smallmouth bass that put it on every serious angler’s map.
Celina (the county seat, population ~1,400) on the Obey River is one of Tennessee’s most isolated county seats – a small Upper Cumberland community at the confluence of the Obey and Cumberland rivers.
Dale Hollow Lake – 27,700 acres straddling the Tennessee-Kentucky border – is consistently cited among the clearest natural-looking reservoirs in the United States. The lake’s visibility often exceeds 30 feet, and its cold, clear water produces exceptional smallmouth bass. The 1955 world-record smallmouth bass remains unchallenged after seven decades.
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Clay County Assessor of Property at 145 Cordell Hull Drive, Suite 101, Celina, TN 38551, phone 931-243-2178. No TN income, inheritance, or estate tax.
Courts & Legal
Clay County Chancery Court at 145 Cordell Hull Drive, Celina, TN 38551, phone 931-243-2249, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK
100 Courthouse Sq, Celina, TN 38551
(931) 243-3145
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clay County Clerk and Master, Celina (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The 1873 Clay County Courthouse, NRHP-listed, is a significant local landmark. Secretary of State Cordell Hull’s first law office (now a museum) is located in Clay County.
Local societies
No dedicated Clay County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clerk and Master, Clay County PO Box 332, Celina, TN 38551 (931) 243-3145
Clay County was created in 1870, named for Henry Clay, in Middle Tennessee along the Cumberland River, seated in Celina. Secretary of State Cordell Hull’s first law office (now a museum) was located in Clay County. The 1873 Clay County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Tennessee has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code. Instead, Tennessee uses its own common form and solemn form probate framework, governed by Title 30 of the Tennessee Code Annotated. In Clay County, the Clerk and Master (part of Chancery Court) administers probate.
Small Estate Affidavit (T.C.A. §§ 30-4-101 through 30-4-103) – available when the value of the probate estate does not exceed $50,000 (personal property; real property is generally excluded). The affidavit can be filed no sooner than 45 days after death. A bond payable to the state is commonly required to protect creditors and other heirs, though it is often waived when the person filing is the estate’s sole heir/beneficiary, or when all heirs consent in writing.
Common Form Probate – the standard, uncontested path: the will (if any) is admitted to probate without formal notice to all interested parties, and the personal representative is appointed and issued Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without a will).
Solemn Form Probate – used when formal proof of the will’s validity is needed, typically because of an anticipated will contest; requires notice to all interested parties and a hearing.
Muniment of Title – used to transfer real estate when there is a valid will but no other assets requiring administration.
Step 2: filing for administration
The personal representative (or an interested party) files the original will (if one exists) and a Petition for Probate of Will or Petition for Letters of Administration with the Clay County Clerk and Master.
The court issues Letters Testamentary (testate) or Letters of Administration (intestate), giving the personal representative authority to act.
The personal representative publishes notice to creditors in a local newspaper; creditors generally have a limited window (commonly around 4 months from the notice) to file claims.
The personal representative inventories and appraises the estate’s assets (may be waived by the will or by all beneficiaries).
The personal representative pays valid debts, expenses, and taxes.
The estate is closed with a final accounting (unless waived) and distribution to beneficiaries or heirs.
What it costs
Filing fees vary by county; confirm current fees with Clay County directly.
Tennessee has no statutory fee schedule for attorneys or executors – fees must be “reasonable” and are subject to court approval if contested.
Tennessee does NOT impose a state estate tax or a state inheritance tax. Only the federal estate tax may apply, and only to very large estates.
Typical timeline for a simple, uncontested estate: roughly 6-9 months.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
100 Courthouse Sq, Celina, TN 38551
(931) 243-3146
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTION COMMISSION
100 Courthouse Sq, Celina, TN 38551
(931) 243-3145
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Health Department
220 Willow St, Celina, TN 38551
(931) 243-3202
DHS Office
220 Willow St, Celina, TN 38551
(931) 243-2145
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clay County Health Department – 115 Guffey Street, Celina, TN 38551 | (931) 243-3153 | Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 AM-4:30 PM
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