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
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. Marker 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking 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); Rear Admiral Joseph Fyffe (about 600 feet away); The Residence of General Granville Moody (about 600 feet away); Charles Young in Ripley / Colonel Young's Achievements
this page online
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. 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(Submitted on June 22, 2019.)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.Photographed By J. J. Prats, June 11, 20192. Location of Dr. Beasley’s HouseMarker is at the base of the ivy-covered retaining wall.
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 291 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 20, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
