Lawrence County Courthouse - Ironton, OH
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 38° 32.151 W 082° 41.032
17S E 353238 N 4266615
Lawrence County Courthouse - Ironton, OH
Waymark Code: WM2AJ2
Location: Ohio, United States
Date Posted: 10/02/2007
Views: 150
LAWRENCE COUNTY COURTHOUSE - IRONTON, OHIO
The Lawrence County Courthouse, located in Ohio’s southernmost county,
is an imposing structure. When it was opened in 1908, the
Ironton Registerwrote, with evident pride, that it is a “magnificent, artistic, Greek Revival Structure, one of the finest structures in the state, classical decorations, clever work, carefully thought out, appropriately furnished and good size.”
It is an imposing structure. It stands on a hill, looking down towards the Ohio river, and together with a parking lot it occupies a whole block. It has columns on each facade and a high dome on top. Looking at it from the street, the stairs and the columns produce an
impression of height and mass that inspires respect.
The lawn around the courthouse too is filled with items that reflect the history of Lawrence County. To the right is one of the two cannons that flank the main entrance; this one is a WW II era 105 millimeter howitzer. Other items include a memorial to all veterans of Lawrence
County, a Viet Nam memorial that lists all Lawrence County residents who died in that war, and a replica of a blast furnace.
The furnace represents a time when Lawrence County was a great iron producer: the iron produced by the region’s furnaces from 1818 to 1916 was superior to any other in the United States, and during the civil war the area’s furnaces worked at capacity to supply iron for field guns.
STATUE OF LIBERTY REPLICA
Lawrence County Courthouse - Ironton, Ohio
A suprising item is a replica of the Statue of Liberty, at right. It was erected in 1951, during “the crusade to strengthen liberty,” and the dedication reads “with the faith and courage of their forefathers who made possible the freedom of these United States, the Boy Scouts of America dedicate this copy of the Statue of Liberty as a pledge of everlasting fidelity and loyalty.”