Editing Ironton, Ohio (section)

== History ==
[[File:Historical Collections of Ohio- An Encyclopedia of the State; History Both General and Local, Geography with Descriptions of Its Counties, Cities and Villages, Its Agricultural, Manufacturing, Mining (14586376590).jpg|thumb|left|Ironton in 1887]]
Ironton was founded in 1849 by John Campbell,<ref name="IrontonGen">{{cite news|last=Malloy |first=David E. |title=Ironton |newspaper=Herald-Dispatch |date=September 27, 2006 |url=http://www.putnamherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/COMMUN/604200307/1069 |location=Huntington, WV }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> 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|USS ''Monitor'']], the United States' first ironclad ship.<ref name="IrontonGen"/>  More than 90 furnaces were operating at the peak of production in the late 19th century.<ref name="IrontonGen"/>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-07-25|title=Lawrence County: A proud past|url=https://www.irontontribune.com/2010/07/24/lawrence-county-a-proud-past/|access-date=2021-01-10|website=The Tribune}}</ref>  Ironton was also known for its accommodating attitude toward [[sin]] and [[vice]] associated with the mine and ironworkers.{{according to whom|date=September 2023}}

=== Underground Railroad and Civil War ===
With its location on the Ohio River, Ironton became a destination on the [[Underground Railroad]] for refugee slaves seeking freedom in the North. John Campbell and some other city leaders sheltered slaves in their homes during their journeys.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/communities/x407923223/Lawrence-County-Ohio-Community-known-for-its-rich-history-in-iron-and-for-its-role-in-helping-slaves-escape-via-the-Underground-Railroad |title=Lawrence County, Ohio: Community known for its rich history in iron and for its role in helping slaves escape via the Underground Railroad |publisher=The Herald-Dispatch |date=7 July 2013 |access-date=January 1, 2014}}</ref>

During the [[American Civil War]], local military [[regiment]]s were mustered, quartered, and trained at [[Camp Ironton]], a military post located at the county fairgrounds.

=== Changing economics of the iron industry ===
The downfall of Ironton came as the market for iron changed.  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 [[Norfolk and Western Railway]] built [[Ironton Norfolk and Western Depot|a new railroad station]] downtown in 1906, and it continued in operation into the mid-20th century.<ref>{{cite book|editor=Owen, Lorrie K.|title=Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places|volume= 2|location=St. Clair Shores, Michigan|publisher= Somerset|year= 1999|page= 857}}</ref> Two major floods (1917, 1937) caused extensive damage to the city and its industries. The second flood came during the Great Depression; together with the shift in the iron industry, it devastated the city. The iron industry declined, affecting other industries, as well.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Benita|last=Heath|date=2012-01-29|title=The 1937 Flood|url=https://www.irontontribune.com/2012/01/29/the-1937-flood/|access-date=2021-01-10|website=The Tribune}}</ref> As the iron industries closed, Ironton had little with which to replace them.

An industrial city, Ironton worked to attract other heavy industry to the region. Companies such as Allied Signal and Alpha Portland Cement did build in town. The region has had difficulty creating an alternate economy.<ref name="PayneThesis">{{cite web | url=https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=osu1392657460&disposition=inline | title=Modernity Lost: Ironton, Ohio in Industrial and Post-Industrial America | date=1994 | access-date=7 September 2016 | author=Payne, Phillip Gene | archive-date=September 17, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917073238/https://etd.ohiolink.edu/!etd.send_file?accession=osu1392657460&disposition=inline | url-status=dead }}</ref> By 2004, both Alpha Portland Cement and Allied Signal were gone, and Ironton had shrunk by nearly 30% from its peak population in 1950. (See US Census table below.)

=== Professional football and Thanksgiving Day football tradition ===
Ironton had one of the first professional football teams in the United States, called the [[Ironton Tanks]].  The team was organized in 1919 and played through 1930. The football field previously used by the Tanks is now home to the Ironton High School Football team, the Ironton Fighting Tigers.

The Tanks began what is now the [[National Football League]]'s Thanksgiving Day Game tradition of the Detroit Lions. The Tanks played a game in 1920, the day after Thanksgiving, with the Lombards, a crosstown rival, winning 26–0. In 1922, they played and defeated the Huntington Boosters 12–0 on Thanksgiving Day, Nov 30. The Tanks continued playing on this national holiday each year through 1930, which was the Tanks' final season. Several Tanks players (including Glenn Presnell) continued their football careers by joining the nearby Portsmouth Spartans, which continued the annual tradition until their demise after the 1933 season.

The Spartans' assets were acquired by businessman G.A. Richards and moved to Detroit, where they were renamed the Lions.  Asked by 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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Home & Away: Rise & Fall Of Professional Football On Banks Of Ohio|first= Carl |last=Becker |year=1998|chapter=Detroit Lions - History of the Thanksgiving day game|isbn=9780821412374|publisher=Ohio University Press}}</ref>