Clay Working To Expand Impact Of Courthouse Project

Clay County Courthouse Curator Thomas Watson working on another grant for courthouse upgrades.

Watson said that the first grant covered $10,000 to kick off the Adopt-A-Window Program. He said that this grant will be used to help continue restoring the 150-year-old courthouse windows.

“And this is double the amount we applied for last year,” Watson said. “And this has all been made possible through the adopt-a-window program.”

Watson said that as part of the upgrades with the window project, they are also exploring the idea of creating a Rolly Hole Marble Museum using some of the rooms in the basement. He said that because the game started in Clay County, they think it could create yet another tourist destination in the county. He said that with so many visitors passing through, they’re always looking for ways to have visitors stop.

“To do a complete branding of the courthouse,” Watson said. “A long-range plan of things that we’re doing, including this courthouse.”

Watson said that as part of the branding they plan on updating the website and having people submit pictures and stories. He said that they want it to serve as a place of comprehensive history for the courthouse.

Watson said that with so many tourists coming through Clay County, they want to create more reasons to have people stop. He said that the work on the courthouse is just one of many things in Clay County that they can work on to revitalize the downtown area.