While working on the helicopter pad and hangar construction this past summer at St. Mary’s Medical Center-Ironton Campus, Dave Milam noticed the Purple Martins were swooping into the pond to get a drink of water.

He discovered they were living under the bridge at intersection of State Route 141 and U.S. 52. During the winter he talked with his friend, Jeff Gaskin, and asked him to build the Purple Martin house.

Milam had already placed several bluebird boxes in the area behind the native species garden and felt as if the Purple Martin house would be perfect to complement it.

Working with Ron Henderson, the facility director for the Ironton-Lawrence County Community Action Organization, he was given permission to erect the birdhouse on this site right in front of the pond and across from the garden.

Gaskin, Roger Callicoat from the CAO and Milam raised the birdhouse on Friday, March 21.