CHESAPEAKE — It was an assignment that introduced the iPad generation to the era that first brought prosperity to Lawrence County.

That’s what happened when the Chesapeake High School speech students of Colleen Sexton created a high-tech walking tour of the historic homes of Ironton.

“We started this in the fall,” Sexton said. “It was a project done in conjunction with Ohio University Southern. Dave Lucas, (OUS professor), and I are team teaching my speech class where the kids are getting high school and college credit.”

Lucas used to have his students at OUS give a tour of the mansions of the city.

“He wanted to do a documentary and do it on an CD so when people come to take the tour, they could put the CD in an iPad,” Sexton said.

One of the reasons Lucas chose Chesapeake students was that he wanted fresh eyes on the project.

“He wanted our Chesapeake students who would have an objective view where they didn’t know about the homes and the homeowners,” Sexton said.

The project began with the students researching Ironton’s history at the Briggs Lawrence Hamner Room, then interviewing the owners of the homes slated for the documentary.

“We had such cooperation from those people,” Sexton said. “We wrote it in the form of a research paper, before it was turned into speeches.”

That would allow those who are hearing-impaired to have a written script to follow during the tour. The CDs are expected out in the next two weeks.

“They have gotten interviewing skills and they have learned about local history,” Sexton said. “They had to do research on architecture and know all about the different styles of architecture and how to use the genealogy department. What we have seen so far of (the CD), it looks good.”