Ashland, AL

Ashland is Clay County's seat, a town that became the county seat in 1867 after the county was created the year before. The courthouse site came from land donated by Hollingsworth Watts, and the county-seat role still gives the center its shape. Alabama Routes 9 and 77 run through town, linking Ashland with Lineville to the northeast and Goodwater to the southwest. The downtown, courthouse grounds, and county offices make local government hard to miss. It is a small Alabama town with a practical map: two state routes, one county seat, and the surrounding hills and farms of Clay County.