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Ironton Filled With Notable History
Ironton -- IRONTON -- Ironton has a rich history that involves iron ore, the country's oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade and football.
Founded in 1849, Ironton became the center of the nation's pig-iron industry. There were more than 90 iron ore furnaces in the region prior to, during and after the Civil War. Iron from a local foundry was used for one of the country's first ironclad ships, the USS Monitor.
Ironton was founded by John Campbell, a local iron master and foundry operator. Campbell also was an abolitionist, and his house was a stop along the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves seeking freedom north of the Mason-Dixon line.
"Ironton is a town with a lot of pride," said resident Randy Lilly. He heads up a group that cleans up the town and plants flowers, shrubs and trees every spring.
"The town really comes alive on Friday nights" when the Ironton High School Fighting Tigers take to the football field, he said. "The entire community comes out to support the team. Many of them haven't missed a game in years. I haven't missed many."
Tigers head football coach Bob Lutz is on the verge of becoming the winningest coach in Ohio, said Mayor John Elam.
"The town has a strong football heritage," Elam said. "We've always been proud of Ironton football."
The high school football team still plays in Tanks Stadium and has been to eight state championship games, winning two of them.
In 1919, the town formed a semi-professional team, the Ironton Tanks, that played for more than a dozen years. The team had some good players who played and beat a number of teams including the New York Giants and Chicago Bears.
One of the players on that team -- Glenn Presnell, a local teacher and all-American player at the University of Nebraska -- later played for the Portsmouth Spartans. That franchise moved to Detroit and became the Lions. Presnell, who died last year, picked the team colors and was one of the Lions' first stars.
In addition to Presnell, several other Ironton natives have played in the National Football League. They include Coy Bacon, George McAfee and Dan Pride, Elam said.
Ironton also is home to the Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade, the nation's oldest continuously running Memorial Day Parade. The parade was first held several years after the Civil War ended. Every year the parade has 12 divisions, and many folks use the event as a homecoming. The crowd is measured in the tens of thousands every year.
The city of 11,200 also is the home of Ohio University-Southern, the largest branch of Ohio University. The Ironton campus started by holding night classes at Ironton High School, but now boasts its own campus with four buildings, said Kim Keffer, the school's director of enrollment services.
Plans are in the works to improve access to the Ohio River at the Center Street landing, Lilly said. "The Ohio River is an underused resource," he said.
"The city has a lot of unique architecture and some nice old homes and churches," he said.
Other local events during the year include Ironmaster Days and Rally on the River during the summer and the Festival of the Hills in September.
By David E. Malloy - The Herald Dispatch
