Hello again and for the last time this season for the Lawrence County Historical Society. The museum has been closed to the public but the workers will need to clean up the Christmas decorations and start getting ready for the April opening.

I do not know as yet the plans for next year but am sure it will be as pleasant as this past year.

A couple of Sundays ago Santa Claus, aka Bob Blankenship, was greeting the children and giving them presents. I heard that one grandchild recognized Grandpa Bob. Now we are facing the celebration of another year upon us.

We are hoping for more docents and more visitors.

Husband Jerry came in to our dwelling and showed me a beautiful piece of wood about three feet long that he had planed in his shop.

This brought interest because it was a beautiful board about two inches wide. It was different from what I had seen because it was yellow wood and with a very pretty coloring. When he explained that it was part of the flooring in the old “Guy” building, I started exploring. Seems that in the ‘80 this type of board was used in building.

So following this information below you can see what we discovered.

Historical Fact: Registar Newspaper

In 1881 the Scioto Valley Railway laid a line from Portsmouth to Petersburg. The transportation feats accomplished in Coal Grove.

The railway moved upriver through the “narrows” to connect with the Ohio and West Virginia by a new bridge at South Point (North Kenova) known as the Hattie Green Bridge. In 1896 electric streetcars replaced horse-drawn railcars between Ironton and Coal Grove on rails laid eight years earlier. In 1890 electric lights were first used at Coal Grove’s Yellow Poplar Lumber Co. plant.

For many years a ferryboat operated between Coal Grove and Ashland. Travelers from the Eastern end of the county would cross by ferry over to Huntington, W.Va., then travel by street cars to Kenova, across Big Sandy River to Catlettsburg, go by street car to Ashland ferry to Coal Grove, then traveling by street car to Ironton, thus reaching the county seat by traveling three states, and crossing two rivers (one of them twice).

The area that is now Coal Grove remained a sparsely populated farming community through the first 40 years of neighboring Ironton’s growth; then in 1889 the Chicago Lumber Co. built what was reportedly the largest sawmill in the nation next to the river just above the mouth of Ice Creek, and remained in business until 1918.

Coal Grove was, for a time, known as Petersburg after John Peters, who acquired the land of the old Monitor Iron Co. when the furnace operations failed. Most furnaces were built in the hills where timber and iron ore were abundant.

The cost of hauling the ore and timber to the riverside furnace was more than hauling the pig iron from the inland furnace to the river wharfs. Monitor School in Coal Grove bears the old furnace’s name today.

The furnace was built by Bird, Peters & Co., owners of Lawrence Furnace, and after the failure, Peters acquired the property and with other partners, built a fire brick plant and changed the name of the community’s post office to Petersburgh.

In 1889 the post office of Coal Grove was established, absorbing the smaller area post offices of Newton, Monitor, Petersburgh and Sheridan Coal Works (upriver). Later, the Ironton post office absorbed Coal Grove and South Point post offices.

Now to the subject of the Yellow Poplar Lumber Co. plant. It is said that there is no virgin lumber left in Lawrence County because of the use in the furnaces.

This yellow poplar lumber was used in building of stores. We are aware that it was used in the Old City Hall, Tower House and elegant homes.

It is still in the older homes in Ironton, Ashland and surrounding homes. This lumber plant was in use in the late ‘80s and it left in 1918 after being noted of having the largest yellow poplar plant in the United States.

This is a bit of history that Coal Grove can always be proud of.

Naomi Deer, LCHS