This tunnel was constructed in 1850 by the Iron Railroad. The line was eventually purchased by the Detroit, Toledo, & Ironton Railroad. This section of the line was called the Ironton Branch. The main purpose of the line was to transport iron ore, limestone, charcoal, coal, and timber throughout the Hanging Rock Iron Region of Ohio. The raw materials were then used at the iron furnaces to produce iron. Once the iron was produced, it was shipped from the nearby furnaces into Ironton. The tracks were abandoned in June, 1982.

The small village of Vesuvius Station, a.k.a. Vesuvius, was located here. The mines in this area supplied most of the coal used in Ironton. In fact, several of the industries in Ironton depended solely on coal from this area.