Court House at Ironton Burned
The Spirit of Democracy Woodsfield, Ohio 30 Mar 1875 page 2
NOTE: The jail was once located across the street from the courthouse. Note the gasoline pump in front of the jail entrance—photo courtesy of the late Joe Crance.
Ironton, Ohio, March 23. – At about 1 o’clock this morning, the Court House took fire and burned. The Treasurer’s, Recorder’s, Sheriff’s, and Probate Judge’s offices, with the main courtroom and the jury and witness rooms, were destroyed. The records, except the Probate, were all saved. The safe is all right. The Auditor’s, clerks’, and Commissioner’s offices were uninjured. The loss is estimated at $12,000; insured for $8,000.
SWI August 21, 1906 – NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
Sealed proposals will be received at the office of the county commissioners of Lawrence county, Ohio, until 12 o’clock noon on the 30th day of August 1906, for the labor and materials required in the construction of a courthouse for Lawrence county, in the city of Ironton, Ohio, in accordance with the plans and specifications now on file in the office of the commissioners of said county and in the office of the Architects Richards, McCarty & Bulford, Columbus, Ohio.
Proposals must be submitted upon blanks which will be furnished upon application to the architects or to the undersigned. Each proposal must be accompanied by a bond equal to 50 percent of the proposal amount to guarantee that the party bidding will enter into a satisfactory contract and furnish a bond for the faithful execution of the work.
Proposals must be sealed and marked Proposal for Lawrence County Court House and addressed to A. C. Robinson, County Auditor, Ironton, Ohio. The right is reserved to reject any or all bids by order of the Court House Building Commission.
This is also how the jail and courthouse looked in December 1966 when it was the scene of a jailbreak that killed 2 including Ironton Chief of Police W.E. Markel and wounded 2 others.