Ironton in Lawrence County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Campbell House

— Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour —

Photographed by Craig Doda, August 16, 2025

1. Campbell House Marker

Inscription. Built in 1851, the Campbell House in Ironton, Ohio, was home to John and Elizabeth Campbell, who aided freedom seekers through Lawrence County's Underground Railroad network. They worked with African American conductors Gabe and Retta Johnson, Madison Black, James Ditcher, and white allies Hiram and Sarah Campbell, Rev. Joseph Chester, and John Peters. As John Campbell's obituary recalled, "No fugitive ever came to this town searching for freedom, but Mr. Campbell took his hand, gave him money, and sent him on." Their clandestine system connected Ironton to rural African American settlements further inland, including Poke Patch and Berlin Crossroads.

This site is part of the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour, funded by an ARC POWER Grant. For more information, videos, historical images, and links to other tour sites, follow this QR code.

Appalachian Regional Commission, Lawrence County Development Corporation, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

Erected by Appalachian Regional Commission, Lawrence County Development Corporation, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.

Location. 38°

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32.309′ N, 82° 41.091′ W. Marker is in Ironton, Ohio, in Lawrence County. It is at the intersection of North 5th Street and Lawrence Street, on the right when traveling north on North 5th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 305 N 5th Street, Ironton OH 45638, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Kyova Tri-State Region.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: John Campbell Memorial Home (here, next to this marker); Ironton - Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lawrence County Veterans Square (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lawrence County Viet-Nam Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (approx. 0.2 miles away); George R. Patterson (D) (approx. 0.2 miles away); This Cornerstone From Old Jail (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Hanging Rock Iron Region / The Blast Furnaces of Lawrence County (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ironton.

Also see . . . The Appalachian Freedom Heritage Tour Homepage. Link for QR code mentioned in the marker text.

The Appalachian Freedom Initiative is a nine-county, three-state initiative to locate and document Underground Railroad sites in the tri-state region of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

(Submitted on September 7, 2025, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.)

Photographed by Craig Doda, August 16, 2025

2. Campbell House Marker

Campbell House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, August 16, 2025

3. Campbell House

Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 3, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 111 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 3, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.