OHIO
OhioRiver
About the bicycling:Distance: 26.5 mi. Recommended forintermediate to advanced cyclists. Slightuphill grade leaving Ripley resulting in anice downhill back into town. Free SoilRd. is a long, slow climb north towardGeorgetown. Use caution descending OldU.S. Highway 68 through the hairpin curveknown locally as “Horseshoe Bend” to theintersection with Centerpoint Rd. Deer arefrequently sighted at this location.To do & see:▲ Ulysses S. Grant Boyhood Home, 219
E. Grant Ave., Georgetown, 937-378-4222 (from Main St., located 0.2 mi. easton Grant Ave.).
▲ Grant Schoolhouse, 508 S. Water St.,Georgetown, 937-378-4222 (from MainSt., located 2 blocks east on E. 3rd St.).
▲ John A. Ruthven’s Art Gallery, 203 E.Grant Ave., Georgetown, 937-378-4222(from Main St., located 0.2 mi. east onGrant Ave.).
Bicycle shop:▲ Mycle's Cycles, 106 E. Cherry
St., Georgetown, 937-378-5700.Local cycling information, bikerentals, and guided toursavailable. Ask about longerUnderground Railroad route options.
Where to eat:▲ Alley Cat Café, 106 S. Main St.,
Georgetown, 937-378-5300.▲ Parker’s Pizzeria, 124 N. Main St.,
Georgetown, 937-378-6936.
Where to stay:▲ Bailey House B&B, 112
N. Water St.,Georgetown, 937-378-3087.
About the bicycling:Distance: 12.8 mi. Recommended forintermediate cyclists. Slight uphill gradeboth leaving and entering Ripley. U.S.Highway 62/68 is a four-lane highway withshoulders that carry heavy traffic. Usecaution.To do & see:▲ Red Oak Presbyterian Church, 5754
Cemetery Rd., Red Oak (from U.S.Highway 62/68, located 0.2 mi. east onCemetary Rd.).
See Ripley Loop for additional listings.Where to eat:See Ripley Loop for listings.Where to stay:Call the Brown County Tourism Office forlodging options in the area, 937-378-1970.
Main St.
Ripl
eyD
ayHi
llR
d.
Schwallie
Rd.
Ripl
ey
Rd.
W. Henry Rd.
CenterpointRd.
2ndSt.
OldA&PRd.
Free
S oil
Rd.
Free
Soi
lRd
.Main St.
FrontSt.
SycamoreSt.
0.72.2
1.0
3.1
1.9
0.2
2.7 0.9
1.4
1.8
2.9
3.1
5.8
0.6
4.8
About the bicycling:Distance: 8.9 mi. Recommended forbeginner cyclists. Slight uphill grade bothleaving and entering Ripley. Schwallie Rd.is essentially one lane with residential-onlytraffic and the last mile all downhill toRipley Rd.To do & see:▲ Rankin House, 6152 Rankin Hill Rd.,
Ripley, 937-392-1627 (from 2nd St.,located 0.25 mi. east on Rankin Hill Rd.).
▲ Parker House, 330 Front St., Ripley, 937-392-4188.
▲ Ripley Presbyterian Church (Rev.Rankin’s church), 114 Mulberry St.,
Ripley (from Front St., located 2 blockseast on Mulberry St.).
▲ Ripley Musuem, 219 N. 2nd St., Ripley,937-392-4660.
Where to eat:▲ Coheart’s Riverhouse Restaurant, 18 N.
Front St., Ripley, 937-392-4819.▲ Rockin’ Robin’s Soda Shoppe, 8 N. Front
St., Ripley, 937-392-1300.Where to stay:Call the Brown County Tourism Office forlodging options in the area, 937-378-1970.
KENTUCKY
Higginsport
RIPLEY LOOP
RED OAK LOOP
GEORGETOWN LOOP
View of Rankin House from the bottom of the hill.Inset: Looking out the window of the Rankin House towardthe Ohio River.
DE
NN
IS C
OE
LLO
Historic church in Red Oak.
Pedaling through downtown Georgetown.
Front Street in Ripley.
TO
M U
HLM
AN
General notes about the bicycle routes:♦ All loops are best ridden in a
clockwise direction. If riding ona weekday try to ride between9AM and 3PM.
♦ Old US Highway 68 has light-to-moderate traffic with twolanes and no shoulder. It is apopular cycling road so motoristsare generally aware of bicyclists.
♦ Most road surfaces are chip sealor tar roads with loose gravel.
♦ Wildlife is abundant in the area.Watch for deer in the road,particularly on descents.
♦ Many of the roads in these loopswill have rolling hills.
Ripley
RedOak
George-town
Russellville
0.2
Ripley LoopRed Oak LoopGeorgetown LoopAdventure Cycling AssociationUnderground Railroad Bicycle Route
Mileage between points
OldU.S. Highway 68
OldU.S.
Highway
68
52
52
68
62
6268
➤
221
68
125
125
➤
N1/40
mile
11/2
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROADN
ow you can experience one of the m
ost storied treks tofreedom
in Am
erican history – by bicycle. A clandestine netw
orkof routes and safe houses that helped enslaved A
mericans find
freedom, the exact origin of the nam
e is not known; how
ever, bythe 1820s both those w
ho aided freedom seekers and those w
how
ere angered by the loss of their human “property” began to refer
to an Underground R
ailroad. In its most developed form
, theU
nderground Railroad offered local aid to runaw
ays, assistingthem
from one point to another. “C
onductors” would guide the
freedom seekers to a safe
“station” on the route north.A
fter the Fugitive Slave Act
of 1850, the Underground
Railroad evolved from
itsloosely organized beginningsto som
ething more deliberate
and organized. Despite the
illegality of their actions, andw
ith little regard for their own
personal safety, people of allraces, classes, and gendersparticipated in this w
idespreadform
of civil disobedience.T
he Underground R
ailroadB
icycle Route honors the
bravery of those who sought
their freedom and those w
hoprovided shelter. Please enjoyyour ride through the areaknow
n as Freedom’s Landing.
RIPLEYT
he village of Ripley w
asan im
portant stop on theU
nderground Railroad. Situ-
ated on the banks of the Ohio
River, a dividing line betw
eenslavery and freedom
, thisborderland com
munity had
some of the m
ost active sta-tions in O
hio. The geography
helped shape its role; creekbeds threw
off tracking dogs,and hills and valleys providedexcellent hiding places andescape routes.
It was in this setting that
Rev. John R
ankin crossed theO
hio River on D
ecember 31,
1821, to begin his new life in
a free state. An active abolitionist and M
ethodist minister, R
ankinand his entire fam
ily became w
ell known by both freedom
seekersand slave holders alike for their role in the U
nderground Railroad.
The R
ankin House, located on Liberty H
ill, overlooks the Ohio
River and the tow
n of Ripley and is one of the m
ost recognizedsites on the U
nderground Railroad. R
ankin said, “My house has
been the door of freedom to m
any human beings but w
hile therew
as a hazard of life and property, there was m
uch happiness ingiving safety to the trem
bling fugitives.”T
he Parker H
ouse, owned by John Parker, advanced his status
from form
er slave to successful patented inventor and businessman
in Ripley before the C
ivil War. H
e is credited with assisting
hundreds of slaves as they made their w
ay north to freedom.
According to Parker’s recorded journals, the real w
arfare againstslavery in the borderlands along the O
hio River w
as waged around
the few houses at the top of the riverbank on Front Street in
Ripley.
The village becam
e so well know
n that Rev. C
alvin Fairbanks,also an active conductor on the U
nderground Railroad, w
as toldthat R
ipley was a “black, dirty A
bolition hole” when he crossed
the ferry to Ripley in 1844.
During the C
ivil War, G
eneral John Hunt M
organ and otherleading C
onfederate raiders had sworn to burn this “dam
nedabolitionist hellhole to the ground.”
In February, 1838, a Kentucky slave w
oman and her young
child crossed the partially frozen Ohio R
iver with slave hunters
on the chase. Somehow
she managed to escape both her torm
entorsand the m
elting pockets of ice that broke with her every step,
plunging her and the baby into its freezing waters. W
et and frozen,she sought refuge at the R
ankin home. Later, R
ankin recountedher story of courage to H
arriet Beecher Stow
e. This story, in turn,
inspired the character of Eliza in Beecher’s novel U
ncle Tom’s
Cabin.
Ripley’s history continues to inspire and intrigue historians,
residents, and visitors. As you travel through R
ipley, picture thepast – slaves escaping the river, running through the alleys, andclim
bing the steep bank to Rankin’s house, the beacon of freedom
.A
nd think about the dangers for those who believed that enslaving
humans w
as wrong – great A
mericans w
ho put their convictionsin m
otion and had the courage to say no to slavery.
RED OAKT
he Red O
ak Church w
as the next stop on the Underground
Railroad for those freedom
seekers heading directly north.A
ccording to the paper, “Acorns from
Red O
ak,” the Red O
akC
hurch was founded in 1798 and the first building w
as erected ina grove on R
ed Oak C
reek. The first religious m
eetings in Brow
nC
ounty were held here. A
fter the second log church burned in1816, w
ork began on the stone churchw
hich still serves the tiny congregationtoday.
On the subject of slavery, Judge W
.W
. Gilliland, an early church m
ember,
was quoted as saying, “T
he oppositionto slavery at R
ed Oak w
as almost uni-
versal from the origin of the church. A
large part of the church mem
bers as well
as the pastor wanted to be free from
thecurse of A
frican slavery. They soon
became active conductors on the U
n-derground R
ailroad.”T
here are two cem
eteries on theproperty, one dates from
before the Civil
War and the other is still in use.
GEORGETOWN
The village of G
eorgetown is proud of its connection to the
Civil W
ar. This com
munity w
as the boyhood home of U
nionG
eneral Ulysses S. G
rant from 1823-1839, the longest period of
time G
rant spent in one residence. Be sure to visit the G
rantH
ome and G
rant Schoolhouse on your ride through town.
John A. R
uthven, an internationally acclaimed w
ildlife artist,is a resident of G
eorgetown and has a studio open to the public.
John was part of the recovery team
that searched for the ivory-billed w
oodpecker. In 2005, the U. S. Secretary of the Interior in
Washington D
. C. unveiled a painting of the ivory-billed w
ood-pecker he created.
The com
munity of G
eorgetown is quaint and slow
paced. Enjoysoaking up the history and hospitality of this lovely southern O
hiotow
n.
Wel
com
e to
the
first
in a
serie
s of d
ay tr
ip m
aps c
reat
edfo
r peo
ple
to a
ctiv
ely
expe
rien
ce h
isto
ry. T
his b
roch
ure
is th
e pr
oduc
t of a
col
labo
rati
ve e
ffort
bet
wee
n B
row
nC
ount
y To
urism
and
Adv
entu
re C
yclin
g A
ssoc
iatio
n an
d fe
atur
es th
ree
loop
rout
es th
at w
ill tr
ansp
ort y
ou in
to th
e ri
ch U
nder
grou
nd R
ailr
oad
hist
ory
of th
e ar
ea w
hile
pro
vidi
ng y
ou w
ith
a be
auti
ful b
ike
ride
fit f
orpe
ople
of a
ll ag
es a
nd a
bilit
ies.
A p
orti
on o
f the
se m
appe
d lo
ops a
repa
rt o
f a m
uch
larg
er ro
ute
whi
ch w
as c
reat
ed in
200
7 by
Adv
entu
reC
yclin
g A
ssoc
iatio
n. R
unni
ng fr
om M
obile
, Ala
bam
a, to
Ow
en S
ound
,O
ntar
io, A
dven
ture
Cyc
ling’
s 2,0
28 m
ile ro
ute
pass
es p
oint
s of i
nter
est
and
hist
oric
site
s whi
le p
rovi
ding
turn
-by-
turn
inst
ruct
ions
; illu
stra
ted
map
pan
els;
cycl
ing,
ele
vati
on, a
nd w
eath
er c
ondi
tion
s; as
wel
l as
impo
rtan
t ser
vice
info
rmat
ion.
Hist
oric
det
ails
and
stor
ies,
also
feat
ured
on th
e m
aps,
help
bri
ng th
e ro
ute
to li
fe. B
roke
n do
wn
into
five
map
sect
ions
of a
ppro
xim
atel
y 40
0 m
iles e
ach,
cyc
lists
can
cho
ose
to tr
avel
this
rout
e in
a v
arie
ty o
f way
s. So
me
“loa
d” th
eir b
ikes
wit
h te
nts,
sleep
ing
bags
, and
coo
king
gea
r and
ride
self-
cont
aine
d on
all
or p
ortio
nsof
the
rout
e. O
ther
s em
ploy
fam
ily o
r fri
ends
to S
AG
(su
ppor
t and
gear
) th
eir g
ear i
n ve
hicl
es, w
hile
oth
ers c
hoos
e no
t to
cam
p bu
t sta
yin
stea
d in
hot
els.
The
gui
ding
pri
ncip
al fo
r map
-pi
ng th
is lo
ng d
ista
nce
rout
e w
asm
ore
sym
bolic
than
geo
grap
hica
l.T
hat’s
bec
ause
ens
lave
d bl
acks
stri
ving
to re
ach
free
dom
in th
eN
orth
follo
wed
scor
es o
f diff
eren
tco
rrid
ors,
prov
idin
g a
coun
tles
snu
mbe
r of r
outi
ng o
ptio
ns. T
hesla
ve sp
iritu
al “F
ollo
w th
e D
rinki
ngG
ourd
” gu
ided
our
rout
e no
rth
alon
g th
e ri
vers
and
byw
ays t
o th
eco
nflu
ence
of t
he T
enne
ssee
and
Ohi
o riv
ers.
From
ther
e, w
e le
t the
hist
ory
carr
y th
e ro
ute
all t
he w
ayto
Can
ada,
inco
rpor
atin
g as
man
ysi
tes a
nd c
omm
unit
ies a
s fea
sibl
efo
r bic
ycle
trav
eler
s.A
dven
ture
Cyc
ling
Ass
ocia
tion
part
nere
d w
ith th
e C
ente
r for
Min
ority
Hea
lth (C
MH
) at t
he U
nive
rsity
of P
itts
burg
h in
Pen
nsyl
vani
a ( w
ww
.cm
h.pi
tt.e
du)
to c
reat
e th
e ro
ute.
CM
H a
dvoc
ates
for i
nnov
ativ
e w
ays t
o en
cour
age
peop
le to
live
hea
lthy
lifes
tyle
s. B
oth
orga
niza
tion
s sha
re a
twof
old
goal
in c
reat
ing
the
rout
e.Fi
rst,
we
wan
t to
prov
ide
twen
ty-f
irst
cen
tury
Am
eric
ans w
ith
anop
port
unit
y to
lear
n m
ore
abou
t one
of t
he m
ost c
halle
ngin
g cu
ltur
alst
rugg
les i
n ou
r nat
ion’
s his
tory
. And
seco
nd, w
e w
ish
to p
rom
ote
the
joys
and
hea
lth
bene
fits o
f tra
velin
g by
bic
ycle
. By
its v
ery
natu
re,
bicy
cle
tour
ing
is a
n ac
tivi
ty th
at c
an b
e en
joye
d by
indi
vidu
als o
f all
ages
, wal
ks o
f life
, and
cul
tura
l bac
kgro
unds
. We
belie
ve th
is n
ewhe
rita
ge ro
ute
— w
heth
er e
njoy
ed fo
r a d
ay tr
ip, a
wee
k’s a
dven
ture
,or
an
even
long
er ri
de —
will
pro
vide
the
spar
k to
intr
oduc
e ev
er m
ore
peop
le to
this
won
derf
ul m
ode
of tr
avel
.A
ddit
iona
l par
tner
s in
deve
lopi
ng a
nd p
rom
otin
g th
is h
erit
age
rout
ein
clud
ed S
eatt
le-b
ased
Rec
reat
iona
l Equ
ipm
ent,
Inc.
(R
EI)
and
Bik
esB
elon
g, th
e na
tion
al c
oalit
ion
of b
icyc
le su
pplie
rs a
nd re
taile
rs w
orki
ngto
geth
er to
put
mor
e pe
ople
on
bicy
cles
mor
e of
ten.
Bot
h of
thes
eor
gani
zati
ons c
ontr
ibut
ed m
ajor
fina
ncia
l sup
port
for t
he p
roje
ct.
Plea
se e
njoy
you
r adv
entu
re o
n th
e U
nder
grou
nd R
ailr
oad
Bic
ycle
Rou
te. W
e en
cour
age
you
to sa
y he
llo to
any
bik
e tr
avel
ers y
ou m
ight
enco
unte
r — th
ey’ll
be
sure
to h
ave
stor
ies t
o te
ll! T
o le
arn
mor
e ab
out
this
rout
e an
d al
l its
att
ribu
tes,
visi
t ww
w.a
dven
ture
cycl
ing.
org/
ugrr
.R
ipley Presbyterian Church, R
everendR
ankin’s church, in Ripley.
Cyclists enjoy the view
from the R
ankin House in R
ipley.
DENNIS COELLO
DENNIS COELLO
COVER PHOTO BY DENNIS COELLO
DENNIS COELLO
Dis
cov
er
Am
eri
ca’s
Le
gen
da
ry
Ro
ute
to
Fre
ed
om
DISC
LAIM
ER: A
dven
ture
Cyc
ling
Asso
ciat
ion
has
prod
uced
this
map
sol
ely
as a
nai
d fo
r bic
yclis
ts. B
y pr
oduc
ing
it, n
eith
er A
dven
ture
Cyc
ling
Asso
ciat
ion,
the
Brow
nCo
unty
Tour
ism
Offi
ce, t
he li
sted
spo
nsor
s, n
or th
e Oh
io D
epar
tmen
t of T
rans
porta
tion
war
rant
s th
e sa
fety
of t
hose
who
bic
ycle
on
the
road
s us
ed. T
he u
ser a
ssum
es th
eris
ks e
ncou
nter
ed, a
nd is
adv
ised
to u
se g
ood
judg
emen
t and
obe
y al
l tra
ffic
law
s.
Tha
nks
to o
ur g
ener
ous
spon
sors
Go
vern
or'
s O
ffic
e o
f Ap
pal
ach
ia
Bro
wn
Co
un
ty T
ou
rism
AL
MS
TNK
Y
INO
H
PANY
ON
TH
E U
ND
ERG
RO
UN
DR
AIL
RO
AD
BIC
YCLE
RO
UT
E
Rip
ley
, Oh
io
Freedo
m's L
anding
Adve
ntur
e Cy
clin
g As
soci
atio
n is
a n
atio
nal,
mem
ber-
supp
orte
d,no
n-pr
ofit
bicy
clin
g or
gani
zatio
n. O
ur m
issi
on is
to in
spire
peo
ple
ofal
l age
s to
trav
el b
y bi
cycl
e. W
e he
lp c
yclis
ts e
xplo
re th
e la
ndsc
apes
and
hist
ory
of A
mer
ica
for f
itnes
s, fu
n, a
nd s
elf-
disc
over
y.Ou
r Nat
iona
l Bic
ycle
Rou
te N
etw
ork
enco
mpa
sses
36,
180
mile
sof
map
ped
bicy
cle
rout
es. T
hese
eas
y-to
-rea
d m
aps
have
info
rmat
ion
on ri
ding
con
ditio
ns, s
ervi
ces,
wea
ther
, and
loca
l his
tory
. For
a fu
lllis
ting
of a
ll th
e ro
utes
ava
ilabl
e, v
isit
our w
ebsi
te:
ww
w.a
dven
ture
cycl
ing.
org
An A
dven
ture
Cyc
ling
mem
bers
hip
is $
35.0
0 a
year
. Mem
ber
bene
fits
incl
ude:
■9
issu
es o
f Adv
entu
re C
ycli
st m
agaz
ine
■T
he C
yclis
ts' Y
ello
w P
ages
, an
annu
al re
sour
ce d
irect
ory
■Or
gani
zed
tour
s■
Disc
ount
s on
bic
ycle
map
sFo
r a m
ore
info
rmat
ion
call
1-80
0-75
5-24
53, e
-mai
l:in
fo@
adve
ntur
ecyc
ling.
org,
or w
rite
to u
s w
ithyo
ur n
ame
and
addr
ess
at: 1
50 E
. Pin
e St
.,M
isso
ula,
MT,
5980
2
Ad
vent
ure
Cyc
ling
Ass
oci
atio
n
For m
ore
info
rmat
ion
abou
t the
Und
ergr
ound
Rai
lroad
in B
row
n Co
unty
, con
tact
the
Brow
n Co
unty
Tou
rism
offic
e.Ph
one:
937
-378
-197
0, c
ell 5
13-3
04-1
523
Web
site
: ww
w.co
unty.
brow
n.oh
.us
Emai
l: br
ownc
ount
ytou
rism
@co
unty.
brow
n.oh
.us
Ad
ven
ture
Cyc
ling
Ass
oci
atio
n
Lake E
rie
Maum
eeR
iver
Scioto
River
Ohio
River
Ohio
River
80
75
70
75
71
71
90
64
79
77
ON
TAR
IO
OH
IO
KE
NT
UC
KY
MIC
HIG
AN
WE
ST V
IRG
INIA
Colum
bus
Charleston
Akron
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Dayton
Toledo
Lexington
Ripley
PENNSYLVANIA
INDIANA
➤
050 m
iles
50 kilom
eters0
Ohio
River
Ripley
OH
IO
KY
52
6862
6268
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