Burlington, Ohio was laid out in February 1817 by Edward Trupper of Gallipolis, Ohio. It was the first village in Lawrence County. The first white settlers in the region were James and William Canter in 1796.
Burlington was named the first county seat of Lawrence County on March 4, 1817. Three days later on the 7th, the first elections were held. John Kelley was elected the first sheriff.
Delta was the pioneer name for the land between South Point and Sheridan, Ohio. The small village had an elementary school named Greene School in honor of the pioneer, Elisha Greene. Delta Lane, which still exists today, ran through the area known as Delta.
North Kenova was the original name of the village where the southern most point of Ohio was located. It was unincorporated and located across the Ohio River from Kenova, West Virginia. North Kenova had its own post office until 1960. In 1960, the post office combined with the South Point post office. Now, North Kenova is a part of the village of South Point.
In 1797, the Proctorville area has its first settlers, the Jesse Baldwin family. During its first years, the village was known as Quaker Bottom and Grant Town.
In 1834, the village was named Proctor’s Landing after Mr. Proctor.
In 1837, the name changed again to Proctorville. This time the name stayed the same. The village was named for Jacob Proctor, Jr.
In 1852, the land in the Proctorville area sold for $4.00 per acre. By 1864, the area had enough residents to found the village.
The village of South Point was founded in the summer of 1798 by William “Ranger” Davidson. Davidson received the land for his service in the Revolutionary War. It received its name for being located on Ohio’s most southern tip.
Fifty-eight residents of the South Point area signed an incorporation petition in 1887.The village was incorporated in April 1888. On April 2, 1888, Jerry Davidson was elected as the first mayor of South Point.
Steamboats were once a common sight on the Ohio River.
The Allied Chemical Corporation was founded in 1920 when five chemical companies joined to form one organization. The company was originally named the Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation. The Semet-Solvay Company was one of the five chemical companies which joined the corporation.
Ashland Armco purchased the property when Belfonte Steel closed.
In 1934, Robert Stern purchased the property from Ashland Armco. He used it as part of the Ironton Product Company.
Built by Carlyle Labold, the Carlyle Tile Company produced its first brick on May 5, 1925. In 1929, a trestle was built over Pike Street in Coal Grove from the brick plant to the N&W tracks. The trestle was used until 1960.
The plant was surrounded by abundant resources. Clay was mined from the surrounding hill. Donkeys were used to transport the clay to the plant.
Carlyle Tile received a war time Eagle Service Award on September 5, 1943 for production of war materials.
Charles S. Gray Deaconess Hospital was housed in the original home of W.D. Kelley, one of the founders of Ironton. The building was situated on the corner of Fourth and Quincy Streets. The Kelley home was remodeled in 1899 to become a hospital. The formal opening of the hospital occurred on April 5, 1900. The committee in charge of the hospital included Colonel H. A. Marting, A. J. Brumberg, D. J. James, Mrs.
