Clay County Historical Museum

ABOUT THIS PLACE

The Clay County Historical Museum stands at 915 Walnut Street in Green Cove Springs, in the 1890 courthouse annex, and forms one corner of what the county calls its Historical Triangle, alongside the 1890 courthouse and the 1894 county jail. The Clay County Historical Society founded it in 1966 and opened it to the public in 1975. Volunteers from the society still run it. Inside, the museum is arranged as rooms rather than cases: a country kitchen, a country store, a music room holding Slim Whitman memorabilia, a doll room, a working printing press and the old vault. The railroad collection was added in 1992 and is what many people come for. A red caboose sits outside and visitors can climb aboard it, and a train station moved here from Elkton still carries its original signals and lanterns. Taken together the exhibits tell the story of a rural county from its creation in 1858 forward. There is no admission charge, though donations go toward keeping the buildings up. The museum opens Fridays from 11 in the morning until 1, and Sundays from 2 until 5, except on holidays, and tours outside those hours can be arranged by telephone