Underground Railroad Center: A visit to Ripley, Ohio

Want to learn more about the Underground Railroad that helped escaped people fleeing slavery move north?  Want to visit actual places where these things happened?  Join Temple Beth Or Adult Ed on a field trip to beautiful Ripley, Ohio, a village of 1,500 on the Ohio River 60 miles east of the Cincinnati. There we will have guided tours of both the abolitionist John Rankin’s  House— a National Historic Landmark that USA Today picked as Ohio’s “hidden gem”—and the house of John Parker, a former enslaved man who risked himself and his family repeatedly to help others escape.  Our guides to the village will be Betty Campbell, a Ripley local who has studied and cherished her town’s stories for years, and Mary Ann Olding, an architectural historian who has researched Ripley and who mesmerized the Adult Ed group visiting the Freedom Center in Cincinnati in July, 2023.  Beyond history lessons and inspiring stories we’ll enjoy beautiful views, a catered lunch, and illuminating conversation. 

A generous donor is covering the costs of this program for up to 20 people; we will need several drivers.

We will meet in Temple Beth Or parking lot and we will drive together in cars/vans