One southwestern Ohio city played a pivotal role during the
Civil War. A piece of history saved Ripley from Confederate
destruction. Ripley was an abolitionist town that Confederate
generals wanted to sock. It was an important stop on the
Underground Railroad because of its location on the Ohio River.
Confederate troops got as close as raiding nearby Augusta,
Kentucky. But a cannon strategically placed for defense may have
saved Ripley from a similar fate. "This one has quite a long
range and is very accurate," town librarian and historian Alison
Gibson said. First to go would have been Ripley’s historic homes
that still stand today. "We felt probably that the cannon was
necessary because we would be a target. We're sort of a
bull’s-eye,” Gibson said. John Rankin’s and John Parker’s homes
were known stops on the Underground Railroad. Slaves could spot
Rankin’s from miles across the river. "John Parker on Front
Street, the ex-slave that bought his freedom, he went across the
river a lot to bring slaves across