A history of Ironton,
since 1849
Postcards, papers and photographs of Ironton from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Ironton’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewIronton - River Valley Hospital (…, 1899: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Ironton
See all 28 →
Ironton, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Ironton - River Valley Hospital (COAF) (1899) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.