Editing Ripley, Ohio

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Ripley, Ohio
| settlement_type          = [[Village (United States)|Village]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = "Freedoms Landing - Where thousands found freedom on the Underground Railroad"

<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = RipleyOH2.JPG
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Looking north on Second Street ([[U.S. Route 52]]) in Ripley
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map                = OHMap-doton-Ripley.png
| mapsize                  = 250px
| map_caption              = Location of Ripley, Ohio
| image_map1               = Map of Brown County Ohio Highlighting Ripley Village.png
| mapsize1                 = 250px
| map_caption1             = Location of Ripley in Brown County

<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Ohio]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Ohio|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Brown County, Ohio|Brown]]
| subdivision_type3        = [[List of townships in Ohio|Township]]
| subdivision_name3        = [[Union Township, Brown County, Ohio|Union]]
| named_for                = [[Eleazer Wheelock Ripley]]

<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Travis Arnett
| leader_title1            = 
| leader_name1             = 
| established_title        = 
| established_date         = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_sq_mi         = 2.29
| area_land_sq_mi          = 1.99
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.31
| area_total_km2           = 5.94
| area_land_km2            = 5.15
| area_water_km2           = 0.79

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est           = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 1591
| population_density_sq_mi = 799.90
| population_density_km2   = 308.88

<!-- General information -->| timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset               = -5
| timezone_DST             = EDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -4
| elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft             = 535
| coordinates              = {{coord|38|44|22|N|83|50|18|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 45167
| area_code                = [[Area codes 937 and 326|937, 326]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 39-67272<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 2399079<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2399079}}</ref>
| website                  = {{URL|http://villageofripley.com/}}
| footnotes                = 
}}

'''Ripley''' is a [[village (United States)#Ohio|village]] in [[Union Township, Brown County, Ohio|Union Township]], [[Brown County, Ohio|Brown County]], [[Ohio]], United States, along the [[Ohio River]] 50 miles southeast of [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]]. The population was 1,591 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

==History==
Colonel James Poage, a veteran of the [[American Revolution]], arrived in the free state of [[Ohio]] from [[Staunton, Virginia]] in 1804 to claim the {{convert|1000|acre|km2}} he had been granted in what was called the Virginia Military District. Poage was among a large group of veterans who received land grants in what was first organized as the [[Northwest Territory]] north of the [[Ohio River]] for their service in the [[American Revolutionary War]], and freed the people that they had enslaved when they settled there. Poage and his family laid out the town of Staunton in 1812; it was renamed in 1816 to honor General [[Eleazar Wheelock Ripley]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_udUyAQAAMAAJ | title=The History of Brown County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County, Its Townships, Towns, Churches, Schools, Etc. | publisher=Higginson Book Company | year=1883  | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_udUyAQAAMAAJ/page/n396 416]}}</ref> an American officer of the [[War of 1812]].

Given its location on the river, Ripley became a destination for slaves escaping from slavery in [[Kentucky]] on the other side. Both black and white residents developed a network, making Ripley an early stop on the [[Underground Railroad]], to help slaves escape north to freedom.  A number of prominent [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionists]] lived in the town in the 19th century, mainly on Front Street near the river.  [[John Rankin (abolitionist)|John Rankin]] moved from Kentucky to Ripley in 1822 and later built a house on Liberty Hill overlooking the town, the river, and the Kentucky shore. From there, he signaled escaping slaves with a lantern on a flagpole<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/page.cfm?ID=4626|title = African Americans in Ohio}}</ref> and provided them shelter. The house is now known as the [[John Rankin House (Ripley, Ohio)|John Rankin House]], and has been designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]]. Rankin was also the minister at the Ripley [[Presbyterian Church]] for twenty-four years.

==Geography==
The town is surrounded by steep, rolling hills on the northeast, Red Oak Creek on the southeast, and the Ohio River on the southwest.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|2.30|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|1.99|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.31|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 6, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=January 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1820= 421
|1830= 572
|1840= 816
|1850= 1780
|1860= 2715
|1870= 2323
|1880= 2546
|1890= 2483
|1900= 2248
|1910= 1840
|1920= 1529
|1930= 1556
|1940= 1623
|1950= 1792
|1960= 2174
|1970= 2745
|1980= 2174
|1990= 1816
|2000= 1745
|2010= 1750
|2020= 1591
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 6, 2013}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,750 people, 759 households, and 469 families living in the village. The [[population density]] was {{convert|879.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 931 housing units at an average density of {{convert|467.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the village was 92.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.9% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 2.2% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.5% of the population.

There were 759 households, of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.2% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the village was 42.2 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,745 people, 745 households, and 467 families living in the village. The population density was {{convert|1,722.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 896 housing units at an average density of {{convert|884.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the village was 91.69% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 6.65% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.06% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.17% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.17% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.26% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 745 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $30,000, and the median income for a family was $39,330. Males had a median income of $29,318 versus $20,977 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $15,268. About 11.7% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 21.9% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable people==
* [[William Q. Atwood]], former slave
* [[Alexander Campbell (American politician)|Alexander Campbell]], politician
* [[Steven M. Newman]], "The Worldwalker," first man to walk solo around the world
* [[John Parker (abolitionist)|John Parker]], abolitionist, inventor and industrialist
* [[John Rankin (abolitionist)|John Rankin]], abolitionist and Presbyterian minister
* [[Russell Smith (trumpeter)|Russell Smith]], jazz trumpeter
* [[Steve Stivers]], [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] for {{ushr|OH|15}}
* [[Charles Young (United States Army)|Colonel Charles Young]], first black man to achieve the rank of [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] in the [[United States Army]]

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180" class="center">
File:Ripley on the Ohio River.jpg|Aerial view of Ripley from the north.
File:RipleyOH1.JPG|Ripley corporation limit sign.
File:RipleyOH3.JPG|Liberty Monument on the Ohio River that was dedicated in 1912.
File:RipleyOH MainSt.jpg|Main Street ends at the [[Ohio River]] in Ripley, Ohio.
File:Ripley ohio union township public library 2015.jpg|alt=Stairway leading to Union Township Public Library, Ripley, Ohio, 2015|Union Township Public Library, Ripley, Ohio, 2015
File:Rankin house looking up path 2005.jpg|alt=Stairs leading up to red-brick house on a hill|John Rankin House, Ripley, Ohio, 2005
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of Underground Railroad sites]]
* [[List of cities and towns along the Ohio River]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://villageofripley.com/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180318092905/http://ripleyohio.net/ Historic Ripley, Ohio]

{{Brown County, Ohio}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Brown County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1812]]
[[Category:Ohio populated places on the Ohio River]]
[[Category:1812 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Villages in Ohio]]