Thomas J. McMahon, 1034 N. Fifth Street, perhaps knew John Campbell, the founder of Ironton, better than any citizen living today. The McMahon home was on north Sixth street between Buckhorn and Lawrence streets, and John Campbell’s stables were just across the street on Sixth and Lawrence.
When Tom was quite a young lad, Mr. Campbell bought a carload of Mexican ponies, and he offered all the boys in the neighborhood 50 cents each if they “broke” a pony to ride. Tom remembers well, that the first day he tried to ride one of the ponies he was thrown off against the brick wall and lost 75 cents worth of skin. However, it was Tom’s desire to be a horseman, and he never gave up on the job.
The McMahon family consisted of five boys and their father; Peter McMahon was one of the early policemen in the town. Strange that all the boys except Johnny loved the horses, but Johnny became a printer, worked on several newspapers, and was with the Weekly Register for many years.
During the late 80s, Nick McMahon purchased the Joe Thompson livery on Vernon Street, and engaged in business for himself, after working several years as a hack driver for both Charles L. Pixley and Evan H. Jones, well-known liverymen.
Operating a livery before the days of the automobile was a big business. The liveryman furnished all the carriages for funerals, weddings, and dances, and also operated hack lines to meet incoming boats and trains at the depots.
It required quite a force of men to operate a livery. The horses had to be fed three times a day, watered, curry – combed and brushed, the harness had to be kept clean, oiled, and polished, and the vehicles had to be washed and greased. The cabs had to be kept in readiness for weddings, funerals, and special occasions. In addition to this, there had to be an office man to book the calls, keep the books, etc.
Each livery owned a fine hearse, cabs especially for pallbearers, and a small phaeton for the minister, and other vehicles for funerals. The liverymen were called upon to furnish express wagons for traveling men [part of this section missing] postmaster was the chief clerk at the McMahon stables, to take calls and book engagements for cabs. John Hortel, the late carpenter was for many years one of the boss stablemen at the stables as were Harry Pemberton, John Sheridan, and others.
Thomas McMahon as cab driver met the first C. & O. passenger train ever to stop at Russell, with a hack. He remembers well it was called No. 3 and went to Cincinnati. For years and years after, he met the trains at Russell, crossing on the ferry boat with a two-horse team.
On one occasion, he drove Kitty Campbell to take the late train, No. 4, for New York. The station was a dark place, and Miss Campbell remained in the carriage while he went in and purchased her ticket, and checked her two large trunks. The ticket to New York was only $16.75 and Tom remembers the tip he got.
Another time Mr. McMahon recalls he was driving a cab to Hecla for Miss Alice Neal, Fifth and Vernon streets to bring Charley Campbell, who was a son of John Campbell, to town. Tom also drove Albert Campbell, another son on several occasions.
Thomas McMahon also recalls John Campbell’s funeral as having the largest number of carriages he ever saw at one funeral. He and every man that could be found were pressed into service to drive the cabs.
Another incident Mr. McMahon says he will always remember was the day he was driving the hearse and lost the corpse. It seems that the funeral had to cross the railroad tracks and in going over the new fill at the crossing, the horse became shy and jumped and tilted the hearse. He kept on going not knowing that the hearse doors had opened and that they had lost the casket. A good distance away, he was overtaken by one of the cab drivers following and they had to turn around and go back and look for the casket, which had slid down the embankment at the fill.
Thomas McMahon was born in Ironton, on June 20, 1872, and attended the St. Lawrence school, when the church was located on the corner of Seventh and Center, and the little school was just behind the church on Seventh Street facing the Eagle brewery.
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