The first white settler in the area was Ephraim Stout in 1805. The first ironworks in Missouri and west of the Mississippi River was erected along Stout's Creek near Lake Killarney.
The Fort Davidson State Historic Site in Pilot Knob commemorates one of the bloodiest battles in Missouri during the Civil War. More than 1,000 men were wounded or killed when Confederate General Sterling Price attacked an earthen fort defended by Union soldiers in 1864.
The Arcadia Valley Academy, built in 1846 as a Methodist high school, later served as a Union hospital during the Civil War. In 1877 Ursuline nuns purchased the school and turned it into a girls school and later a convent. Its architecture is some of the most beautiful in the state and it features some of the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world.
Iron County is host to a variety of elementary, middle and high schools with outstanding academic and athletic credentials.
These schools, in four separate districts, offer various educational and vocational programs designed for individual students to maximize their potential for success in the future.
From beginning robotics to computer programming, from musical development to theatrical abilities, and from athletic skills to the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, the schools of Iron County offer students a wide range of possibilities for each of their own skills, talents and development.
The four school superintendents in Iron County are making a concerted effort to promote, enhance and recognize academic achievements for their students in their respective schools.
With more than 100 physicians representing over 20 specialties, and the very latest in medical equipment and procedures, Parkland Health Center provides outstanding facilities to serve the healthcare needs of Iron County.
Elephant Rocks State Park is aptly named. Its red and pink boulders, at least 1.2 billion years old, stand end-to-end on top of a mountain like a parade of circus elephants. The largest of these weighs 680 tons. You'll also be inspired by the Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park with its cascading water between large, smooth rocks creating natural waterslides. More than a billion years ago, hot volcanic ash and gases cooled and formed igneous rock. Later, waters of the Black River became confined or "shut-in" to a narrow channel. Water-borne sand and gravel cut deeply even into this erosion-resistant rock, swirling, churning, and carving potholes, chutes and spectacular canyon-like gorges.
Numerous lakes and rivers in Iron and surrounding counties provide a variety of recreational activities such as fishing, swimming, boating, camping, picnicking and floating. You'll catch smallmouth and largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and other species. St. Francis River is the site of Missouri's only Whitewater Races in the spring. Others of special note are Clearwater Lake, Shepherd Mountain Lake, Council Bluff Lake, Wappapello Lake and Black River. Iron County has 2 golf courses and is host to at least 6 different festivals (including a rodeo) each year.
Other attractions include Sutton Bluff Recreation Area, Sam A. Baker State Park, Silver Mines Recreation Area, Marble Creek Recreation Area, Ozark Trail and the Mark Twain National Forest.
You'll find a lot to like when you visit Ironton and Iron County. Stop by our office and let us show you the many properties we have for sale. You just might find that dream property you've been looking for.