Oak Ridge, the spacious home of Dr. A. Justine Payne located on Eighth Street near Park Avenue (111 South Eighth Street) was once called the ‘GOP Mansion of Ironton.” The home was originally erected by W. C. Amos, one of the seven iron masters who organized Big Etna Furnace. Big Etna was the largest blast furnace in the world in 1873. All of the Big Etna’s iron masters built large homes. Amos was not an exception. When attorney A. R. Johnson owned the house, it was a stop for many visiting celebrities. It was Johnson who named the house after Oak Ridge Furnace. The lot surrounding the house covered a city block between Center Street and Park Avenue on Eighth and Ninth Streets.
