Hamilton Township Once Was Booming, But Now It’s Being Bypassed
I.R. December 17, 1967
Submitted by Lorna Marks
The integral history of Hamilton Township is not to be forgotten.
The village of Hanging Rock, once a teeming populated area and the forerunner of the present city of Ironton, was the leading center for the iron furnaces throughout the county.
The Hanging Rock Iron Region covered more than 1,000 square miles extending into the states of Kentucky and West Virginia and through the counties of Lawrence, Vinton, Scioto, and Jackson in Ohio.
In 1825, the iron region was “almost a wilderness.” In 1845 21 furnaces were operating in the Ohio section of the district. In 1884 there were some 42 furnaces in the same district.
Hamilton Township was a part of Upper Township from 1850 until the later part of the year when it was divided into a separate entity. Therefore, no 1850 census figures are available for the township.
In 1846, according to historical reports, Hanging Rock, about 17 miles downriver from the county seat of Burlington, had a church, four stores, a forge, a rolling mill, a foundry, and approximately 150 inhabitants.
The town grew rapidly because of the booming iron industry and its strategic river location and has been nearly forced into obliteration for the same reasons. A four-lane highway and a complex cloverleaf system near the main part of the village have pushed the town into a small area against the hillside and on the river bank.
Information concerning the naming of the village of Hanging Rock is sketchy and conflicting in many instances. Some historians say that the village was named for the 400-foot-high cliff of sandstone which once hung from the side of the hill. Others state that old river captains named the village after many riverboats were foundered on rocks beneath the surface of the river during summers when the water was low.
Some reports state that Luke Kelley, his wife, seven children, and Mary Kelper from Russell County, Va., made the first settlement and built the first cabin in Hamilton Township in “the late 1700s.” A conflicting report relates that Andrew Yingling made the first settlement in 1798, near what later became Hanging Rock, and that Christopher Stump built the first house near Union Landing in 1799. According to the latter report, Luke Kelley and his family bought the house from the Stumps in 1799.
The first steam locomotive on the rails, “The Shawnee,” was operated in 1848.
Robert Hamilton, after whom the township was named, and Andrew Ellison, were capitalists who controlled many furnace interests in the area. According to many reports, the two men built the Pine Grove furnace and other furnaces. However, Pine Grove furnace was in Elizabeth Township, Hamilton, and during his later years, he resided in a stone showplace on the riverbank in Hanging Rock.
Robert Hamilton, listed on the Elizabeth Township records of the 1850 census as “Robert Hamilton, born in Pennsylvania and owning $80,000 worth of property,” was “the richest man in Elizabeth Township.” He married Nancy Ellison, an “aunt” of Mrs. John Campbell, wife of the founder and leading capitalist of Ironton.
He later gained sole propriety of Pine Grove furnace, according to some historical data, and being a very religious man, sought to bring Christian ideals into the Iron industry.
He was supposedly the first iron master in the nation to shut down his furnaces on the Sabbath.
Mr. Hamilton was also one of the founders of the “Church of Hanging Rock and Pine Grove,” which still stands on the main corner of the village, near the post office. The church, dedicated on November 23, 1850, is still in use and is the oldest occupied public building in the county.
From the days of the three-mile railroad into the hills through the glory of the Hanging Rock Region and now the expressway U. S. 52, Hamilton Township has played an important part in county and state history due to its strategic position on the riverfront. Today the eastern sector of the township contains a small part of the city of Ironton.
Additional Tidbits about Hamilton Township, no source was given
The village of Hanging Rock is located in Hamilton Township and is bordered by the Ohio River. At one time, it was a fair-sized town and was the forerunner of present-day Ironton, Ohio.
Today, Hamilton Township is geared to modern times and includes part of North Ironton. Dow Chemical is located in the area. The Ohio Power and the N. & W. Railroad have purchased tracts for industrial sites. A Boat Ranch with storage, dockage, fuel, and repairs, Collins Coal Tipple, and the Marquette Cement Storage and Loading is in Hanging Rock. A flood wall divides Hanging Rock and North Ironton; both are in the same township.
0 Comments