To order the newspaper for your classroom or for
further information, call NIE at (614) 461-5213.
On the Underground Railroad
The John P. Parker House in Ripley
Reading and Thinking
1. John Parker purchased his freedom.
Why did he need to be cautious
when he went into Kentucky?
2. Reread Paragraph 1. What happened
at night in Ripley?
3. The John Rankin family was white.
Why would they do such dangerous
work aiding runaway slaves? Why
was it less dangerous for them than
for John Parker?
Activities
• On the Map: Once escaped slaves crossed
the Ohio River, they still had to reach Canada to
be free. Plot 3 ways they might have traveled
through Ohio. Using the mileage gauge, estimate how many miles they had to travel from
the river to the Canadian border. What difficulties did they still face in Ohio?
• In the Newspaper: John P. Parker and John
Rankin showed great courage. Look through
today’s newspaper for courageous people.
What causes are they working for, or what are
they struggling against? What do you think of
their efforts? Write a paragraph about one
courageous person.
NIE thanks staff at the Ohio Historical Society and Betty Campbell of the John P. Parker Historical Society for their help in developing this feature.
Complimentary classroom
newspapers provided by:
Newspaper In Education at The Columbus Dispatch works to foster
child literacy and encourage classroom use of the newspaper.
©The Columbus Dispatch
Oh
i
From the 1830s to the 1860s, the people of Ripley, Ohio, were afraid of the night. By day, their town was like any on
the Ohio River. Men worked on the docks or in meat-packing plants. Women shopped in the stores on Front Street, and
children went to school. Any night, however, might bring terrible noises –frantic splashing in the river, people screaming
in fear, loud pounding on front doors, dogs barking and angry men firing guns and cracking whips.
The river was the border between free Ohio and the slave state of Kentucky. Slaves running to Canada had to cross it.
They often crossed at Ripley, where the river was narrow and shallow. In summer, when it didn’t rain, they could cross
almost without swimming. In winter, the river froze and they could walk across. Summer or winter, men, women and
children made the journey at night.
Many people in Ripley helped the slaves. It was dangerous work. Slave-catchers with
dogs and guns chased the people running north. Even if the slave-catchers didn’t get the
slaves, they could arrest the people who were trying to help them.
Among the Ripley helpers were the Rev. John Rankin, his wife, Jean, and their 13
children. Blacks seeking freedom knew that if they could cross the Ohio, climb a riverside
staircase of 100 steps and reach the door of the Rankins’ hilltop home, the family would
hide and feed them. Then, when the slave-catchers were gone, the sons would take the
slaves to the next safe house.
Another Ripley resident who helped was John P. Parker, who owned and operated a
foundry. Parker hated slavery. He had been a slave. When he was 8 years old, he was sold
away from his mother. As an adult, he
1800s picture of stairs to the Rankin House.
Photo from the Ohio Historical Society
tried to escape. Eventually, he earned
Major routes north of the Ohio River $1,800 to buy his freedom and moved to
Ripley. From 1845 to 1863, he helped 1,000 slaves escape. Parker
CANADA
MI.
frequently traveled into Kentucky to help them cross the river. As a
former slave, he could have been captured and returned to slavery.
Detroit ˙
Or he could have been jailed or killed.
Cleveland
PA.
Toledo
˙
˙
Once, Parker helped a man, wife and baby escape a Kentucky
IND.
plantation.
The family’s white owner knew the parents wouldn’t leave
Pittsburgh
˙
without their baby, so each night he took the baby to sleep with him
Columbus
in his bedroom. That didn’t stop Parker. He told the parents to wait in
˙
Cumberland
his boat by the Ohio River. Then he broke into the house, crawled into
˙
the slave owner’s bedroom and took the child. The owner woke up
Marietta
Cincinnati ˙
and chased him. Parker ran all the way to the river with the baby in his
˙
˙
W.VA.
iver
arms, and he and the parents rowed across the river to safety. Many
R
Ripley
o
50
stories of the brave actions of Parker, Rankin and others are still told
Ironton
KY.
N MILES
in Ripley. The Rankin and Parker houses are open for tours.
For information, check www.ripleyohio.net.