Historic downtown Celina is best known as a gateway to Dale Hollow Lake—but there’s more to the story.

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Over the years, it’s been a thriving river town, home to a respected boarding school, and a hub for industry.

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Today, it’s embracing a new identity while holding onto its small-town charm.​

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How It Began

Clay County was named after Kentucky statesman Henry Clay, a key figure between the Founding Fathers and Abraham Lincoln.

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Though not officially incorporated until after 1900, Celina was already a town—named after Celina Fisk, daughter of pioneer Moses Fisk, who founded the South’s first female academy in 1806.

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Celina played a significant role in the Civil War and evolved into a thriving river town, serving as an essential stopover between Kentucky and Nashville. Nearby Butler’s Landing was also a busy Cumberland River port.

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Originally located at the meeting of the Cumberland and Obey Rivers, Celina shifted when the Obey was impounded to form Dale Hollow Lake.

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“Downtown” gradually made its way east, being centered around the original Clay County courthouse, which still stands today. Despite not being the “main” courthouse now, it holds the distinction of being the second-oldest “working” courthouse in the state. County offices have been moved to a newer complex, but it’s still used for official purposes from time to time. That doesn’t mean the building, built in 1871 for a price tag of $9,999, isn’t heavily used.  Volunteer efforts have transformed the nostalgic building into a cultural hub. A weekly talk radio show is broadcast there, holiday events are held there, and the grand old structure serves as the center for a wide variety of community celebrations and events.

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Celina once served as the home of Montvale Academy, an outstanding private school that offered a liberal arts curriculum. Subjects offered were as wide-ranging as elocution and pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching). The boarding school attracted students from a wide area around Celina and boasted notable alumni, including former Secretary of State Cordell Hull. Hull served in that capacity under U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hull won the Nobel Peace Prize and was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the United Nations.  Former Tennessee Governor Benton McMillan was also a student at Montvale.

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The Polymath Academy (similar to Montvale) was located in the Tinsley’s Bottom area, just a few miles away. John Gore, Tennessee’s first federal judge, was among its graduates.

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Heavy Industrial Presence

The OshKosh B’Gosh clothing company came to town in the mid-1950s, significantly changing the local economy.  Farming and other traditional, rural means of making a living have been the backbone of the local economy (and remain a significant presence today). The garment industry, though, offered another way residents could make a living, as it did across the Upper Cumberland. OshKosh kept a heavy presence in Celina and Clay County for about 40 years.

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Celina Today

Despite the many changes through the years, the town has held onto what you might call a bit of “Mayberry” charm. Our goal is to make Clay County an even better place to live and to attract as many jobs and visitors as we possibly can. We think Celina and Clay County have the absolute best in what people think of as "small-town America.”

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In recent years, the downtown area has undergone the initial stages of a facelift, with assistance from county and city governments, as well as the local Three-Star Committee.