Carolyn Carter may not have known exactly what she was getting into when she volunteered to help the Ironton Port Authority add more pictorial panels to the city’s downtown.

But the IPA must have known what they were getting when they chose Carter to lead the project that will memorialize and illuminate Ironton’s past.

More than 10 months later dozens of the signs are about ready to go up on street poles, guiding visitors down memory lane.

Carter should be commended for her efforts to work with the IPA to determine who should be honored on the signs that honor key figures from Ironton’s past and also to solicit donations from businesses and individuals to sponsor those signs.

With more than 20 signs either already up, ready to go up or on order, this was no small undertaking, but certainly a worthy one.

A few naysayers who have been critical of this project are missing the big picture and ignoring the fact this is a volunteer effort that isn’t costing taxpayers.

Anything that can beautify Lawrence County and help attract visitors to the county seat has to be considered a huge plus.

With the efforts of city leaders and organizations like Ironton in Bloom, the Ironton Rotary Club and the CAO already hard at work to spruce up the city, the pictorial panels add another element to this.

While no one may come to Ironton just to see these panels, it could certainly be something for visitors to do while they are in town — something of a historical scavenger hunt, if you will.

We have said many times, as cliche as it is, that Ironton’s past needs can be a key part of its future.