Description: John Campbell, of pig iron fame, established the city of Ironton and subsequently brought an economic boom to the area. He also aided in the escape of slaves to Canada on the Underground Railroad. Scorching marks behind the front door of the residence are alleged to be the product of a horrific accident. A Campbell daughter died of burn injury after a chandelier fell. In mourning, another daughter postponed her marriage for a year. From 1935 to 1942, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) through its Federal Writers' Project created The American Guide Series, which included forty-eight state guides, as well as supplemental guides for large cities, etc. The state guides are divided into three sections. In the first section are general essays about the state on things such as agriculture, culture, history, industry, religion, etc. The second section contains an overview of the various cities and towns around the state, as well as enumerating various points of interest. The last section is dedicated to various tours around the state. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B15F01_082
Subjects: Ironton; Underground Railroad; Book Illustration; Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Works Progress Administration; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Ironton Ohio; Ohio River; Lawrence County
 

Description: In January and February of 1937, weeks of heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River to flood parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, causing $500 million in property damages, and displacing and killing hundreds. By the end of January, the Ohio River measured 80 feet deep in Cincinnati, one of the areas most affected. President Roosevelt dispatched thousands of relief workers from the Works Progress Administration to rescue flood victims and restore affected cities. This photograph shows the rising levels of the Ohio River encroaching on Ironton, Ohio, a city of 20,000 inhabitants. Ironton was the home of lucrative iron and cement plants, as well as lumber and mining interests. The photograph centers on the Lawrence County Courthouse, located at 111 South 4th Street. The Ironton-Russell Bridge, a cantilever bridge built in 1922, connects Campbell Avenue of Ironton to Etna Street on the Kentucky side of the river. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F11_006_1
Subjects: Floods; Natural disasters; Ohio River; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows downtown Ironton, Ohio, at 3rd and Center Streets during the 1937 Ohio River flood, also referred to as the Great Flood. Visible business signs include S.S. Kresge Co. 5-10-25 store, Peoples Credit Clothing, and Gallaker Drugs. In January and February of 1937, weeks of heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River to flood parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, causing $500 million in property damages, and displacing and killing hundreds. By the end of January, the Ohio River measured 80 feet deep in Cincinnati, one of the areas most affected. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dispatched thousands of relief workers from the Works Progress Administration to rescue flood victims and restore affected cities. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B15F04_003_012_003
Subjects: Floods; Natural Disasters; Ohio River; Storefronts; Ohio Federal Writers' Project;
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: In January and February of 1937, weeks of heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River to flood parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, causing $500 million in property damages, and displacing and killing hundreds. By the end of January, the Ohio River measured 80 feet deep in Cincinnati, one of the areas most affected. President Roosevelt dispatched thousands of relief workers from the Works Progress Administration to rescue flood victims and restore affected cities. This photograph shows Layne's Tailor Shop in Ironton, Ohio, having collapsed before the flood waters receded. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F11_004_1
Subjects: Storefronts--United States--Pictorial works; Floods; Natural disasters; Ohio River; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows the corner of Park Avenue and 2nd Street in Ironton, Ohio, featuring signs for state routes 75 and 141, Jackson 45 miles and Gallipolis 46 miles. Signs in the window of the building on the corner advertise Grimes Realty Co. and Real Estate and Insurance, in addition to a drug store and some type of aluminum product retailer. In January and February of 1937, weeks of heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River to flood parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, causing $500 million in property damages, and displacing and killing hundreds. By the end of January, the Ohio River measured 80 feet deep in Cincinnati, one of the areas most affected. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dispatched thousands of relief workers from the Works Progress Administration to rescue flood victims and restore affected cities. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B15F04_003_012_011
Subjects: Floods; Natural disasters; Ohio River; Stores and shops; Works Progress Administration
Places: Ironton, Ohio; Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows part of downtown Ironton, Ohio, during the 1937 Ohio River flood, also referred to as the Great Flood. In January and February of 1937, weeks of heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River to flood parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, causing $500 million in property damages, and displacing and killing hundreds. By the end of January, the Ohio River measured 80 feet deep in Cincinnati, one of the areas most affected. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dispatched thousands of relief workers from the Works Progress Administration to rescue flood victims and restore affected cities. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B15F04_003_012_015
Subjects: Floods; Natural disasters; Ohio River; Downtowns; Works Progress Administration
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated 1937, this photograph shows the stoplight at Center and 4th Streets in Ironton, Ohio, during the 1937 Ohio River flood. A note on the photograph reads “'F.W. Woolworth's Co. 5 and 10 cent store' 'Florsheim Shoes' 'Arch Preserver Shoe' 'Klein's Lunch, Soda' Along the right: 'Edelson Clothing'." In January and February of 1937, weeks of heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River to flood parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, causing $500 million in property damages, and displacing and killing hundreds. By the end of January, the Ohio River measured 80 feet deep in Cincinnati, one of the areas most affected. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dispatched thousands of relief workers from the Works Progress Administration to rescue flood victims and restore affected cities. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B15F04_003_012_018
Subjects: Floods; Natural Disasters; Ohio River; Storefronts
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "IRONTON, O. IRONTON HIGH SCHOOL; Ident. - B-10 to Illinois National Picture Book 1/9/41; Location - Ironton, Ohio; Credit - courtesy of Gene Wyatt; Caption - School Lets Out, Ironton High School. This photo must be returned to Ohio Writers' Project, 8 E. Chestnut Street, Col. Ohio." Ironton High School was constructed in 1922 and demolished in 2007. The new school reuses parts of the old school, most notably preserving the arched entrance. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B12F07_001_001
Subjects: High schools--Ohio; School buildings--Ohio; Students; Lawrence County (Ohio)--History; Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works; Arches; Education; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: The field of Tank Memorial Stadium in Ironton. Previously the Ironton Tanks used to be a popular team in their home town, and they were good enough to attract over 1,000 spectators to their games. The Tanks were known for going up against the NFL teams of their day in the 1920s and their impressive winning average against some of the best teams. Unfortunately, the team fell apart once the Great Depression hit the country and after 1930 the team no longer existed as anything more than a memory. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06728
Subjects: Cultural Ohio--Ohio Sports; Football--Ohio--History; Ironton (Ohio)
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio); Ohio
 

Description: Original description reads: "Third-st, Ironton's main business block, looking west." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F04_001_001
Subjects: Ironton (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.; Streets--Ohio--Ironton
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: In January and February of 1937, weeks of heavy rainfall caused the Ohio River to flood parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, causing $500 million in property damages, and displacing and killing hundreds. By the end of January, the Ohio River measured 80 feet deep in Cincinnati, one of the areas most affected. This photograph shows the flooded corner of Park Avenue and 2nd Street in Ironton, Ohio, a city of 20,000 inhabitants. Ironton was the home of lucrative iron and cement plants, as well as lumber and mining interests. President Roosevelt dispatched thousands of relief workers from the Works Progress Administration to rescue flood victims and restore affected cities. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a component of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project for which each state had a number of writers hired by the federal government. One of the primary goals of the Federal Writers’ Project was to complete the American Guide Series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B08F11_002_1
Subjects: Storefronts--United States--Pictorial works; Floods; Natural disasters; Ohio River; Works Progress Administration; Ohio Federal Writers' Project
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)
 

Description: These photographs of the Vesuvius Iron Furnace near Ironton, Ohio were taken around 1965. Named after the Mt. Vesuvius volcano in Italy, the furnace was built in 1833 to supply iron to steel manufacturers in northern Ohio, Pennsylvania, and other parts of the nation. It produced 3,000 tons of pig iron, made from iron ore and limestone, per year. The supply of iron ore diminished by the end of the nineteenth century and the furnace was abandoned. The furnace was one 46 charcoal iron furnaces located in the Hanging Rock Iron Region of southern Ohio. Vesuvius Iron Furnace is located north of Ironton, Ohio in the Wayne National Forest. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The slides measure 2.75" x 2.75" (6.99 x 6.99 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3025_3643547_001
Subjects: Geography and Natural Resources; Furnaces; Iron industry; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Ironton (Ohio); Lawrence County (Ohio)