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

Witness Tree

Osage Orange - Maclura Pomifera

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 10, 2025

1. Witness Tree Marker

Inscription. This Witness Tree commonly called hedge apple, is not native to Ohio. The common folklore is that the fruit was placed in homes to repel spiders. This tree witnessed the changes to the Ohio River including the locks and dams this allowed for increased barge traffic that was important to commerce up and down the Ohio river. This tree may have been a sapling when the Rankins Underground Railroad Conductors lived on this farm 1829-1826.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 38° 45.064′ N, 83° 50.584′ W. Marker is in Ripley, Ohio, in Brown County. It is on Rankin Hill Road (County Route 556) 1½ miles east of North Second Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6152 Rankin Hill Rd, 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, 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: Ripley Today (within shouting distance of this marker); Reverend John Rankin House (within shouting distance of this marker); Getting to Ripley, Ohio (within shouting distance of this marker); The Rankin Family (within shouting distance of this marker);

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The Underground Railroad (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named The Rankin House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Abolitionists Network (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Changing River (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ripley.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Rankin House (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 10, 2025

2. Witness Tree Marker

The Rankin House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 10, 2025

3. The Rankin House

Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 22, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 165 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 22, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.