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Ironton Sililoquy
A Date To Remember
March 5, 1966
Written by Charles Collett
Submitted by: Robert Kingrey
March 5 marks the 116th anniversary of the first school
in Ironton. The frame building, on this date in 1850, was erected on
the corner of Fourth and Center, now the site of Goldcamp Hardware
Building.
Leaders in the movement were John Campbell, William D. Kelly and
Sheperd Luke, trustees, who raised $444 by public subscription.
Students entering the school had to pay tuition. The building was a
single-floor frame with a front porch and only two rooms.
Much of the history of the city had its beginnings in the little
school house on that corner across from the public square which the
founders of the town had great foresight in setting aside in 1949 when
the town was laid out with hopes that it would be the site for a
courthouse. The county seat of Lawrence was moved from Burlington to
Ironton in 1852, two years after the school was built.
The two public meeting places of the new town in 1850 were the Iron
Railroad Depot, now the location of the D. T. & I. Depot, and the
school building, which later was called the "Pioneer School" in
newspaper stories.
All the public meetings to organize the moving the moving of the
courthouse from Burlington to this city and the organization of the
First National Bank took place at the depot. Most of the meetings to
organize the first churches in the new town were held at the Pioneer
School.
The Ohio Iron and Cola CO., owners of the new town site of which
John Campbell was president, published notice by tacking printed
bills on trees that a free lot would be donated to any organized group
of 20 or more for a site for a church building. The religious people
of the community quickly accepted the offer, and meetings were held at
the Pioneer School to make their applications legal.
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