Nannie Scott Honshell was born in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, the daughter of Captain Washington Honshell, a riverman who was one of the founders of Cincinnati"s White Collar line. As the daughter of a riverman, she travelled widely throughout her childhood. On October 8, 1879, Nannie Honshell married State Senator Lindsey Kelly, the son of a pig iron magnate.
On October 26, 1906, Nannie Kelly married Daniel Gregory Wright, one of the central figures of the Philadelphia financial world at the time, and 21 years her junior. That same year, she sold the Center Furnace to the Superior Portland Cement company, cashing the largest check ($100,000) ever cashed in a local bank at the time. She caused a stir in the business community during these years by supporting President Theodore Roosevelt"s anti-trust legislation.
Nannie Kelly Wright was a pivotal figure in Northern Appalachian society throughout her lifetime.
Both of her weddings were lavish affairs far surpassing the most expensive local events of the day. She made 3 world tours and was a frequent party hostess, often giving souvenirs from around the world as party favors.
On one trip to London, she was presented before the court of King Edward VII. On one such trip, she became fascinated by English castles and resolved to build one in Ironton. To make room for the castle, she moved her current house across the street in order to clear the block.
The castle never materialized, however, and eventually the land was sold and a Catholic High School was built on the plot of land.
Nannie Kelly Wright lost most of her money in the 1929 stock market crash. Although she lived another 17 years, she was able to live comfortably merely by selling pieces of her large jewelry collection every few years. Nannie Kelly Wright died on December 12, 1946, at the Marting Hotel in Ironton, Ohio.
