Ironton, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Ironton is a city in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Lawrence County
Lawrence County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,319 people, 24,732 households, and 17,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 137 people per square mile . There were 27,189 housing units at an average density of 60 per square mile...

. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

. The population was 11,211 at the 2000 census. Ironton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area
The Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area is a United States metropolitan area that includes five counties in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. A July 1, 2009 estimate placed the population at 285,624. The MSA is nestled along the...

 (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649. As of 2010, the Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

 Bureau pegged the population of 11,129.

History

Ironton was founded in 1849 by John Campbell, who was a prominent pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...

 manufacturer in the area. Interested in expanding his foundry business, and due to the area's rich iron-ore content (particularly in the hills to the north), he became interested in the lands surrounding what would later become the city of Ironton. The location of Ironton was chosen for its position along the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

, which would allow for transport of the much-needed commodity, iron-ore, and the slope of the land itself, which facilitated movement of the raw material to the local blast furnaces.

Between 1850 and 1890, Ironton was one of the foremost producers of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...

 in the world. England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 all purchased iron for warships from here due to the quality; iron produced in Ironton and surrounding areas was used for the USS Monitor
USS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...

, the United States'
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 first ironclad ship. There were more than ninety furnaces in operation at the peak of production in the late 19th century. The immense wealth that was created from the bustling pig-iron industry led to the construction of many opulent residences.

With much wealth pouring into the city from the iron industry, new industries opened that included soap and nail production. The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad
The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was a railroad that operated between its namesake cities of Detroit, Michigan and Ironton, Ohio via Toledo between 1905 and 1983.-Early history:...

, which stretched through two states, helped fuel Henry Ford's
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...

 plants in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. The city had a street railway, the Ironton Petersburg Street Railway, and four daily newspapers and a few foreign-language publications. Ironton was also known for its lax attitude towards sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...

 and vice
Vice
Vice is a practice or a behavior or habit considered immoral, depraved, or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity, or merely a bad habit. Synonyms for vice include fault, depravity, sin, iniquity, wickedness, and corruption...

. It was home to a racetrack, numerous saloons
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

, and brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...

s. Numerous chapels offered "quick and quiet" marriages.

The downfall of Ironton came as the market for iron changed. The quality of the iron that had once made Ironton one of the leading producers of pig iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...

 was no longer considered as desirable. All of the easily accessible iron (close to the surface) had been mined by 1899, and the continued production costs began to outweigh the benefit. Also, the nation was making the transition from a demand for iron to steel. After a nationwide economic recession in the late 19th century, Ironton was no longer growing. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 of the late 1920s and two major floods (1917, 1937) devastated the city to the point that most if not all the city's industries had closed down for good.

As the iron industries closed, Ironton had little with which to replace them. A labor-oriented town, Ironton managed to keep alive by trying to attract heavy industry to the region. Companies like Allied Signal and Alpha Portland Cement did build in town, but even so the boom days were now over. The continued dependency on labor industries has severely hurt the region as a whole, and Ironton even more so. By 2004, both Alpha Portland Cement and Allied Signal were gone, and Ironton had shrunk to the point where there were fewer people living in the whole county than had lived in the city of Ironton 110 years before.

Ironton has been credited as being part of the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...

 that helped runaway slaves flee the South. Both the founder of the city and other city notables helped hide slaves in their homes.

Ironton's military heritage

During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, local military regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

s were mustered, quartered, and trained at Camp Ironton, a military post located at the county fairgrounds. Among them was the 91st Ohio Infantry
91st Ohio Infantry
The 91st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It primarily served in West Virginia and in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia.-Service:...

, which was organized at Camp Ironton on August 26, 1862.

Civil War Medal of Honor Recipients

  • James W. Parks - Date of Issue 2/24/1865, (captured battle flag at the Battle of Nashville
    Battle of Nashville
    The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...

     12/16/1864)
  • William Powell - Date of Issue 7/22/1890, (led 20 men and captured enemy encampment of 500 without loss of life on 11/26/1862)

World War I

  • William C. Lambert
    William C. Lambert
    William C. Lambert was an American fighter pilot who flew in World War I. He was probably the second-ranking American ace of World War I...

     achieved the second highest air victory totals for an American flying ace
    Flying ace
    A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...

     in the war with 21. Received Royal Air Force
    Royal Air Force
    The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

     Distinquished Flying Cross July 16, 1918.

Professional Football & The Thanksgiving Day Football tradition

  • Ironton had one of the first professional football teams in the United States, called the Ironton Tanks
    Ironton Tanks
    The Ironton Tanks were a semi-professional football team organized in 1919 in Ironton, Ohio.Their historical marker gives the story of the Tanks origin: "Semi-professional football began in Ironton in 1893 with a team known as the Irontonians...

    . The team was first organized in 1919 and had a record of 85 wins, 19 losses, 14 ties, including an undefeated season in 1922, a state championship in 1926 and dual victories in 1930 over National Football League
    National Football League
    The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

     (NFL) powerhouses the Chicago Bears
    Chicago Bears
    The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

     and New York Giants
    New York Giants
    The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    . The football field previouly used by the Tanks is now home to the Ironton High School Football team, the Ironton Fighting Tigers.

  • The Tanks were the originators of what is now the National Football League Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day Game tradition. The Tanks played a game the day after Thanksgiving with the Lombards, a crosstown rival on Friday Nov 26, 1920 winning 26-0. They began the actual string of Thanksgiving Day games by defeating the Huntington Boosters 12-0 on Nov 30, 1922. The Tanks continued playing on this national holiday each year thru 1930, which was the Tanks final season. Several Tank players (including Glenn Presnell) continued their football careers by joining the nearby Portsmouth Spartans who continued the annual tradition until their demise after the 1933 season. The Spartans assets were acquired and moved to Detroit where they were renamed the Lions. Asked by their new owner (G.A. Richards) about ways to improve ticket sales, the players replied that they always got a good turnout on Thanksgiving Day. He promptly scheduled the first Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit, the rest was history.

  • George Anderson McAfee was the leader of the Ironton Tigers' 1935 co-state champion high school football squad which had nine wins and no losses, while scoring 264 points to 24 points for their opponents. McAfee, nicknamed "Lefty McAfee" in high school and "One Play McAfee" when he played in the NFL, went on to star at Duke University and for the Chicago Bears.

Geography and climate

Ironton is located at 38°31′51"N 82°40′42"W (38.530720, -82.678309).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (5.91%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 11,211 people, 4,906 households, and 3,022 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,711.3 people per square mile (1,048.1/km²). There were 5,507 housing units at an average density of 1,331.8 per square mile (514.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.33% White, 5.24% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.

There were 4,906 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,585, and the median income for a family was $35,014. Males had a median income of $31,702 versus $24,190 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $15,391. About 17.2% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.4% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

The city is managed by an eight-member city council, the current members of which include Chairman Kevin Waldo, Mike Lutz, Beth Rist, Dave Fraizer, Frank Murphy, Chuck O'Leary, and Ralph Huff. The elected mayor is Rich Blankenship.

Education

There are three public and one private elementary schools, one public and one private high schools, and a community college in Ironton. One non-traditional school also serves the city. The public city schools are currently building new facilities and are subsequently housed at in various buildings.
School Grade Description
Saint Lawrence Central Elementary School K-6 Private, Catholic kindergarten & elementary school
Ironton Middle School http://www.tigertown.com/ims/index.htm 6-8 Opened in 2009. Ironton City School District.
Ironton High School
Ironton High School
Ironton High School is a public high school in Ironton, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Ironton City School District. Their nickname is the Fighting Tigers...

9-12 In 2010 the new Ironton High School will house grades 9-12
Lawrence County Board of MR/DD Open Door Serves the educational needs all of Lawrence County's MR/DD citizens.
Ohio University Southern Campus
Ohio University Southern Campus
Ohio University Southern Campus is located at 1804 Liberty Avenue in Ironton, Ohio. While not as large as the main Ohio University campus located in Athens, Ohio, several degree programs are offered. The Southern Campus also features an extension located in Proctorville, Ohio, a Nature Center, and...

The largest branch of Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...

Saint Joseph Central High School
Saint Joseph Central High School (Ironton, Ohio)
Saint Joseph Central Catholic High School is a private, Catholic high school in Ironton, Ohio. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville. The school's sports teams are known as the Flyers. In addition to housing the high school grades of 9-12, the school also houses junior high...

7-12 Private, Catholic junior high & high school; smallest school in Ohio
Ironton Elementary School http://www.tigertown.com/elem/ K-5 Opened in 2009. Ironton City School District.

Portions outside of the Ironton city limits are served by the Dawson-Bryant Local School District
Dawson-Bryant High School
Dawson-Bryant High School is a public high school in Coal Grove, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Dawson-Bryant Local School District. Their mascot is the Hornets; and the school's colors are red, black, and white....

 and the Rock Hill Local School District
Rock Hill Local School District
The Rock Hill Local School District is a local school district in Ohio. The central location for its offices and school campuses is just outside of Ironton, Ohio...

. Both districts have Ironton mailing addresses.

Annual cultural events and fairs

Name Location Date Comments
Charity Fair St. Joseph Central Catholic High School Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...

This involves carnival games, crafts, inflatable rides, food, and musical acts.
Festival of the Hills Ohio University Southern Campus
Ohio University Southern Campus
Ohio University Southern Campus is located at 1804 Liberty Avenue in Ironton, Ohio. While not as large as the main Ohio University campus located in Athens, Ohio, several degree programs are offered. The Southern Campus also features an extension located in Proctorville, Ohio, a Nature Center, and...

September
Gus Macker Tournament
Gus Macker
The Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament is a nationwide event for players of a variety of age and skill levels in the United States. Although every tournament is different, a typical Gus Macker event involves dozens of temporary courts set up in parking lots or closed-off public streets...

Ironmaster Days Downtown
Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade Downtown Memorial Day The nation's oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade, it has been a tradition since 1868. The first parade was held May 5, 1868 by order of Major General John A. Logan
John A. Logan
John Alexander Logan was an American soldier and political leader. He served in the Mexican-American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a state senator, congressman and senator and was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President...

, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic in honor of the soldiers who died fighting the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. The parade has 12 separate divisions and draws tens of thousands per year .
Rally On the River A yearly motorcycle event.
Oktoberfest

Notable people

  • Bobby Bare
    Bobby Bare
    Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...

    , Country music singer.
  • Kelli Sobonya
    Kelli Sobonya
    Kelli Sobonya is a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. She has represented District 16 since 2002.Sobonya received her Diploma from Ambridge High School...

    , politician
  • Coy Bacon
    Coy Bacon
    Lander McCoy Bacon was a former professional American football defensive lineman in the National Football League. He was selected to three Pro Bowls during his 14-year career...

    , former pro football player.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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