IRONTON -- Tradition is a word that could sum up this city on the Ohio River.
The city was founded in 1849 by iron master John Campbell and became the center of the nation's pig iron industry prior to, during and after the Civil War. Iron from one of the local furnaces was used for the country's first ironclad ship, the USS Monitor.
The city also has the nation's longest, continuous running Memorial Day Parade. The parade was first held in 1868. Every year since, the parade had been held. Starting adjacent to the Lawrence County Courthouse, the parade winds through the city's central business district before heading into a residential area of town.
"The parade draws 20,000 to 30,000 people to the city every year," said Mayor John Elam. "It also serves as a yearly homecoming for the Ironton area. Some people plan their vacations around the Memorial Day Parade.
"Ironton welcomes people with a friendly smile and a handshake," Elam said. "It's a pretty safe place. It's a good place to have a business and raise a family."
Another tradition in Ironton is football Fridays at Tanks Memorial Stadium where Ironton High School plays.
"Ironton is steeped in football tradition," Elam said. "It's the thing to do on Friday nights. Tanks Memorial Stadium is a historical site." The team has been to eight high school football championships, winning two of them.
The football stadium behind Ironton High School once hosted Ironton Tanks football games in and around the 1920s. The Tanks, a semi-professional team, started playing in 1919 and played games in the stadium for more than a dozen years. A couple of teams the Tanks beat were the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears.
The late Glenn Presnell, a local teacher, was among the players on the team before playing for the Portsmouth Spartans and the Detroit Lions. Several players from the city have gone on to play in the National Football League including: Coy Bacon, George McAfee and Dan Pride.
The city also is home to Ohio University-Southern, a branch of Ohio University, which has been serving the community for 50 years. The Ironton branch campus started with several dozen college students in 1956 when classes were held in Ironton High School at nights and on Saturday. The campus finally got its first building in 1985 and now there are four buildings on the campus off the Ohio 141 interchange of U.S. 52.
The Friends of Ironton has held a Gus Macker 3 on 3 tournament for several years and plans another next May. The community group also holds a Rally on the River for motorcyclists and held an Octoberfest with German bands and food earlier this year.
7-day Archive
