Recommended for intermediate cyclists this 12.8 mi.. has a slight uphill grade both leaving and entering Ripley. U.S.
Highway 62/68 is a four-lane highway with shoulders that carry heavy traffic. Use caution.
To do & see:
- Red Oak Presbyterian Church, 5754 Cemetery Rd., Red Oak (from U.S. Highway 62/68, located 0.2 mi. east on Cemetary Rd.)
- 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 blocks east 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 for lodging options in the area, 937-378-1970.
The Red Oak Church was the next stop on the Underground Railroad for those freedom seekers heading directly north. According to the paper, “Acorns from Red Oak,” the Red Oak Church was founded in 1798 and the first building was erected in a grove on Red Oak Creek. The first religious meetings in Brown County were held here. After the second log church burned in 1816, work began on the stone church which still serves the tiny congregation today.
On the subject of slavery, Judge W. W. Gilliland, an early church member, was quoted as saying, “The opposition to slavery at Red Oak was almost universal from the origin of the church. A large part of the church members as well as the pastor wanted to be free from the curse of African slavery. They soon became active conductors on the Underground Railroad.” There are two cemeteries on the property, one dates from before the Civil War and the other is still in use.