Clay County Alabama History of Ashland ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.genrecords.net/alclay/ ************************************************ Contributed by Linda S. Ayers Jan 2003 The Town of Ashland By Mrs. Gifford Ingram ''The act to establish Clay County named James L. Barnhill, A.A. West, H.A. Manning, and W.J. Pearce as commissioners to hold an election on March 4, 1867, to elect the county officers and to also hold an election for the county seat. The town of Lineville was named as a place of holding courts until a suitable courthouse could be erected. As a result of the contest, a small place selected, to which the name ''Ashland'' was given, so named for the Kentucky home of Henry Clay, for whom the county had been named. In 1867, Thomas Adams represented Clay County at the Alabama Constitutional Convention. Form 1868 to 1872; the state senator from Clay County was Green T. McAfee. Form 1872 until 1876, A. Cunningham was senator. The Representative from Clay in 1868 was T.W. Newsome. The early settlers of Ashland were not owners of Slaves and the farms were worked with white labor. Diversification of crops has long been practiced as well as fruit culture and stock raising. Lineville was the originally served as the county seat, but in a later vote of the people it lost out to a site near the center of the county, and thus Ashland, the present day county seat, was born as was a keen rivalry between Ashland and Lineville. A one-story frame courthouse was built in early 1867. It was leveled by fire in late 1875 and some Ashland people believed at the time Lineville residents had buried the courthouse down out of spite. A new brick structure was built in 1878 and served the county for almost 30 years, until the present two-story brick courthouse was built replaced it in 1906.'' Businesses in Ashland in 1870 Archibald Evans Miller B.F. Gozey Dry Goods Dealer E.L. Vardeman Mechanic Moses Moore Blacksmith Sanford Wilkins Dry Goods Dealer Elijah Mitchell Miller William Carton Brick mason J.C. Smith Carpenter M.A. McKinney Carpenter John Olges Cooper J.J. Hamlin Blacksmith J.J. Jones Cooper J. Day Barron Mechanic William Faison Carpenter Wesley Norred Wagoner R.E. Kennedy Photographer William Cherry Cooper Adcock, R.M. Blacksmith H.G. Harris Wagoner Bennett Stansill Boot/Shoe Marker R. Cartwright Carpenter Turner Wight Carpenter James Nelson Merchant Owen K. Waits Physician George Sims Retired Physician Kingson, S.W Grocer W.W. Wilkins Grocer J.M.T. Caldwell Carpenter Zina Bunn Grocer Alex Cantrell Photographer Teachers: Thomas Stansell J.O. Reynolds Nancy Calloway Tolbert May R.T. Slaughter M.W. Haynes J.R. Stockdale Jane Conaway The Ashland Progress was established in 1909, the subscription price was $1.00 per year. The newspaper had 6 columns, and was published every Thursday.