Ironton is a city in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 10,571 at the 2020 census. Located in southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River, it is 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Huntington, West Virginia, within the Huntington, Ashland metropolitan area. The city’s name is a contraction of "iron town", stemming from its long ties to the iron industry. It also had one of the first professional football teams, the Ironton Tanks.
At a Glance
- County: Lawrence County
- County seat of Lawrence County
- State: Ohio
History of Ironton
Ironton was founded in 1849 by John Campbell, a prominent pig iron manufacturer in the area. He chose the location of Ironton because of its site along the Ohio River, which would allow for water transport of iron ore to markets downriver.
Between 1850 and 1890, Ironton was one of the foremost producers of iron in the world. England, France, and Russia all purchased iron for warships from here due to the quality. Iron produced here was used for the USS Monitor, the United States’ first ironclad ship. More than 90 furnaces were operating at the peak of production in the late 19th century.
The iron industry generated revenues that were invested in new industries, such as soap and nail production. The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was constructed through two states, carrying iron to Henry Ford’s automaking plants in Michigan. The city had a street railway, the Ironton Petersburg Street Railway, four daily newspapers, and a few foreign language publications. Ironton was also known for its accommodating attitude toward sin and vice associated with the mine and ironworkers.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Ironton, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.