Rankin House – Ohio Historical Society

The Rankin House was an important stop in southern Ohio through which many slaves escaped from the South to freedom. John Rankin was a Presbyterian minister and educator who devoted much of his life to the antislavery movement. From 1825 to 1865, Rankin and his wife Jean, with their Brown County neighbors, sheltered more than 2,000 slaves escaping to freedom, with as many as twelve escapees being hidden in the Rankin home at one time.

Today the house contains Rankin memorabilia for the visitors to see as they tour the home. Outside is the reconstruction of the stairway used by slaves to climb from the Ohio River to the Rankin House.