Ripley in Brown County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Doctor Beasley

Anti-Slavery Sympathizer and Advocate

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 11, 2019

1. Doctor Beasley Marker

Inscription. This tablet marks the site of the residence of Doctor Beasley, anti-slavery sympathizer and advocate.

In a night encounter at the ferry landing, both a master and a slave were severely wounded. The slave escaped but lay in the barn of Theodore Dolling for several months. The good doctor attended each without the other knowing it.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans.

Location. 38° 44.858′ N, 83° 50.88′ W. Marker is in Ripley, Ohio, in Brown County. It is on North Front Street south of Mulberry Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 136 N Front St, Ripley OH 45167, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cincinnati

and in Southern Ohio Hill Country.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically,

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it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: This Tablet Marks the Home of Thomas Collins (within shouting distance of this marker); Mr. Thomas Kirker (within shouting distance of this marker); Eliza’s Tale (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of the Home of Senator Alexander Campbell (within shouting distance of this marker); First Home of Rev. John Rankin (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); PFC Thomas G. Defosse (about 500 feet away); Rear Admiral Joseph Fyffe (about 600 feet away); The Residence of General Granville Moody (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ripley.

Regarding Doctor Beasley. There were two Doctors Beasley. Dr. Alfred Beasley and his brother Dr. Benjamin Beasley. Alfred was the Underground Railroad Conductor. There are many stories of their bravery.

Also see . . . Quote from The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations.

Location of Dr. Beasley’s House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, June 11, 2019

2. Location of Dr. Beasley’s House

Marker is at the base of the ivy-covered retaining wall.

2008 book by Mary Ellen Snodgrass. Entry for Beasley, Alfred (1803–1868):

A Kentucky-born confederate of renowned Underground Railroad agents on the Ohio River in Ripley, Ohio, Dr. Alfred Beasley managed a medical office and way-station at 124-128 Front Street. One of his daring interventions required medical treatment of a bounty hunter and the man’s quarry, whom Beasley patched up in separate rooms of his two-story home office. The two patients were unaware of each other’s presence. Beasley plotted rescue strategies with his neighbors, Dr. Alexander Campbell and Thomas Collins on Front Street, and with Catherine McCauge and Thomas McCauge at the North Star station, foundryman John P. Parker, and Jean Lowry Rankin and John Rankin of Liberty Hill, one of the busiest safehouses in Underground Railroad History. Beasley passed groups of fugitives to the Reverend James Gilliland at Red Oak Presbyterian Church. In 1912, Dr. Beasley was an honoree listed on Ripley’s Liberty Monument on Main Street.

(Submitted on June 22, 2019.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 20, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 780 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 20, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.