Ripley, Ohio

 

From Wikipedia:

 

Colonel James Poage, a veteran of the American Revolution, arrived in the free state of Ohio from Staunton, Virginia in 1804 to claim the 1000 acres (4 km²) he had been granted in what was then the Virginia Military District. Poage was among a large group of veterans who received land grants beyond the Ohio for their service and freed their slaves when they settled there. Poage and his family laid out the town of Staunton in 1812; it was renamed in 1816 to honor an American officer in the War of 1812, General Eleazar Wheelock Ripley.

 

The proximity of the river and of the slave state of Kentucky on the opposite shore led to Ripley's role as an early stop on the Underground railroad, a network of citizens sympathetic to slaves escaping north to freedom. A number of prominent abolitionists lived in the town in the 1800s, mainly on Front Street near the river, including Reverend John Rankin, former slave John Parker, Thomas McCague, Thomas Collins and Dr. Alexander Campbell.

 

Rankin moved from Kentucky to Ripley in 1822 and later built a house (now a National Historic Landmark) on Liberty Hill overlooking the town, the river and the Kentucky shore. There he was able to signal escaping slaves with a lantern on a flagpole [1] and provide them shelter. A slave woman that crossed the frozen river to Ripley and stayed in his house in 1838 became the model for the character Eliza in Harriet Beecher Stowe's landmark book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Rankin was the minister at the Ripley Presbyterian Church for twenty-four years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maysville, Kentucky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! Beautiful photos of picturesque river towns.  The housing stock is so sturdy looking, and seems well maintained.  Gives great testimony to the importance these once had with the trade plying up and down the Ohio. 

Thats a side of Ripley that most people travelling through it don't get to see. I usually go left on 68/62 when I go down to Ripley because its usually just a soccer trip, and that side of town isn't as impressive. This summer my cousin had her wedding in the church on that hill and I got to look around the part of town that you took pictures off... its pretty nice, much more nice than I had expected out of a small river town.

Great photos! Maysville looks pretty impressive, with a lot of fairly large buildings downtown still in good shape.

 

Ripley's history is fascinating. There was also a Rev. Rankin (Alexander) in Fort Wayne; He was kin to John Rankin, his brother, perhaps? Alexander Rankin was pastor for the city's first protestant congregation, First Presbyterian, from 1837 to 1843. He was suspected of harboring escaped slaves in his house, which still stands downtown and is undergoing restoration (slowly) by ARCH (ARchitecture and Community Heritage).

Excellent!

Ohio River towns are so cool!

Well done,interesting and informative. Since you made the trek out thataway does this mean we can look forward to the ColDayMan tours of Augusta/aberdeen/et.al. at a later date?

ColDayMan, you did good justice to these towns.  Good shots, even if the weather was  gloomy.

 

I know Madison gets the buzz and is the popular destination.  But for me these are my favorite river towns.  Ripley has one of the best waterfronts, as there is the row of old buildings there facing the river and landing.  Another interesting aspect of the town is the way it climbs the bluffs a bit.  Maysville does the same thing, though its riverfront isn't as appealling.

 

In some ways you can use these towns to imagine what Louisville and Cincinnati where like in the old antebellum days, with the lower rowhouses and such.  There are some excellent ones in Maysville to be sure. 

 

 

It sure looks like two towns that are great.

Well done,interesting and informative. Since you made the trek out thataway does this mean we can look forward to the ColDayMan tours of Augusta/aberdeen/et.al. at a later date?

 

I really wanted to do Augusta but I didn't have time (was getting dark).  I'd love to do it some other time!

 

Thanks all!

Great thread, I really like Maysville.