Ironton was founded in 1849 by John Campbell,[6] a prominent pig iron manufacturer in the area.

He chose the location of Ironton because of its site along the Ohio River, which would allow for water transport of iron ore to markets downriver.

England, France, and Russia all purchased iron for warships from here due to the quality.

Iron produced here was used for the USS Monitor, the United States' first ironclad ship.

The Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad was constructed through two states, carrying iron to Henry Ford's automaking plants in Michigan.

With its location on the Ohio River, Ironton became a destination on the Underground Railroad for refugee slaves seeking freedom in the North.

After a nationwide economic recession in the late 19th century, Ironton was no longer growing.

The Norfolk and Western Railway built a new railroad station downtown in 1906, and it continued in operation into the mid-20th century.

The second flood came during the Great Depression; together with the shift in the iron industry, it devastated the city.

[11] By 2004, both Alpha Portland Cement and Allied Signal were gone, and Ironton had shrunk by nearly 30% from its peak population in 1950.

The Tanks began what is now the National Football League's Thanksgiving Day Game tradition of the Detroit Lions.

The Tanks played a game in 1920 the day after Thanksgiving with the Lombards, a crosstown rival, winning 26–0.

Asked by Richards about ways to improve ticket sales, the players replied that they always got a good turnout on Thanksgiving Day.

Winters are cool to cold with mild periods and summers are generally hot and humid, with significant precipitation year-round.

Ironton is largely transitional in its plant life, sharing traditionally northern trees in landscaping like the blue spruce along with Magnolia and the occasional Needle Palm from the Upland South.

[19] Memorial Day events include Charity Fair, offering carnival games, crafts, inflatable rides, food, and musical acts.

[6] The city is managed by a seven-member city council, the current members of which include Chairman Craig Harvey, Chris Perry, Nate Kline, Bob Cleary, Chris Haney, Robbie Brown, and Jacob Hock.

[20] Former mayor Katrina Keith was defeated in the November 2019 election by a total of 2,082 votes to 827 votes, but filed suit claiming that the winner of the election, Sam Cramblit, was not qualified to hold office in the city under state law;[21][22] the suit was dismissed by the Ohio Supreme Court in late November 2019.