Clayton Commercial Historic District
Constructed 1920. In the late 1880s talk of a railroad was heard and Stephen W. Dorsey, who had built a mansion at Mountain Spring about 60 miles west of Clayton, acquired access to the site where Clayton was eventually situated. A town site was laid out, named after Dorsey’s son Read More…
Clayton High School
Constructed 1939. The entire four-block junior and senior high school complex was designed and funded by the WPA and built in the Pueblo-Revival style in 1939. It included a cafeteria, two-story high school, agricultural and manual arts building, a gymnasium/auditorium that also housed a home economics classroom, tennis courts, a Read More…
Clayton Public Library
Constructed 1939. The former Clayton Library, now known as the D.D. Monroe Civic Building, was built by the WPA in 1939 in the Pueblo-Revival style. The building was designed by Willard C. Kruger. It served as the public library until the 1980s when the library moved to a new building Read More…
Clayton Railroad Depot
Constructed 1931. The passenger railroad station was originally built by the Santa Fe Railroad, today it is privately-owned. Santa Fe Dr./Fifth St. Clayton, NM 88415 Photo: Arrival of Gov. McDonald 1912
Eklund Hotel
Constructed 1892. The historic Eklund Hotel has been a landmark for travelers of the southwest since the 1890s. It began as a two-story rock building in 1892 (the west side of the present buildings). The ground floor was occupied as a store with rooms for rent until 1894 when Carl Read More…
Herzstein Memorial Museum
Constructed 1919. Originally built as a Methodist Episcopal Church in 1919, the Herzstein Memorial Museum houses the largest WPA collection in the State of New Mexico. The collection includes furniture, paintings, and other items made by workers of the WPA. — Source: Herzstein Memorial Museum website 22 S. 2nd St. Read More…
Luna Theater
Constructed 1916. The Luna Theater was built in 1916, and opened as the Mission Theater. The building replaced an earlier mercantile building that stood on the corner and burned to the ground. The building is in a Mission Revival style with Art Deco fixtures that were added in the 1930s. Read More…
Main Street Sidewalks – WPA Stamps
Constructed 1942. A WPA stamp in the sidewalk can be found at this address and along Main Street. The downtown sidewalks will soon be replaced in a NM Department of Transportation construction project, but the WPA stamps will be preserved and placed in the new sidewalks. 10 Main St. | Read More…
Rabbit Ear Mountain
Rabbit Ear Mountain is part of the iconic landscape visible from the Town of Clayton. The hills are remnants of volcanoes and part of the larger Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. The mountain is named for the great Cheyenne Chief, Orejo de Conejos who was killed in a bloody battle with the Read More…
Union County Courthouse
Constructed 1909 The Union County Courthouse was built just three years before statehood and is an excellent example of Neo-Classical architecture in New Mexico. The building incorporates some of the classical details made popular by the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. 100 Court St. Clayton, NM 88415 | 505-374-9491 Image by Read More…