Ohio River Scenic Byway - Ripley and Brown County

Ripley, Ohio, a community rich in history, holds a number of prominent residential and commercial buildings which still exist that were once owned by antislavery men and women. Most of these men and women worked as "conductors" on the Underground Railroad out of Ripley. Front Street is probably the most notable section within the historic part of town being comprised of four to five long blocks of elegant homes, several of which were owned by the conductors.

Various monuments erected during the village's Centennial Week in 1912 commemorate Ripley's noted abolitionists and "railroaders." The Liberty Monument at the foot of Main Street on the Ohio River remembers local antislavery figure Reverend John Rankin and others, such as Colonel James Poage (Ripley's founder), Thomas McCauge, Thomas Collins, Dr. Alexander Campbell, Theodore Collins, Samuel Kirkpatrick, John Parker, U.S Senator Alexander Kirkpatrick, and others outside of Ripley who served the fugitive slaves on connecting routes north of Russellville, Red Oak, Decatur, and Sardinia according to one source documented by Eliese Bambach Stivers (Ripley, Ohio: Its History and Families). As there were many stops along the route taken by the escaped slaves seeking freedom and space is limited, key points of interest will be described on this page. To see the sights and hear the stories, a visit to our town of Ripley, Ohio is recommended.