Oreton is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

in eastern Vinton Township, Vinton County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States, located along State Route 160. Oreton was a small mining community. Today, all that remains are the crumbled ruins of the iron furnace, a few concrete foundations, and the brick safe of Dave Ebert's company store.

History

Oreton was a New York Coal Company mining town. The town had a post office from 1880 to 1950, as well as a church (Azariah McManis was the caretaker), and as many as 70 houses for the miners and families, most of them built by a Bert Harder. There are recorded births as early as 1853. A number of coal and iron ore mines were in the area. There was also an iron furnace that operated in the last half of the 1800s. Superintendent of the Eagle's Furnace was Samuel T. Benner, a

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran of Company L,

12th Ohio Cavalry The 12th Ohio Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 12th Ohio Cavalry Regiment was organized at Camp Taylor in Cleveland, Ohio, and mustered in November 24, 1863, for a t ...

. Although Oreton was a town for over 100 years, the town never had a cemetery. Burials took place in nearby towns, several miles away. Oreton was originally known as Aleshire, according to postal records.Vinton County, Ohio Postmasters
rootsweb.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.

References

External links

{{coord, 39, 09, 50, N, 82, 24, 46, W, type:city_region:US-OH_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Ghost towns in Ohio Geography of Vinton County, Ohio Populated places established in 1853