John P. Parker

John Parker came to Ripley in 1847 and connected with other established conductors on Ripley’s Underground Railroad: Rev. John Rankin, Thomas Collins, Eli Collins, Theodore Collins, and Rev. James Gilliland. Before and during the Civil War, he led a dual life, ferrying fugitives across the Ohio River by night and working as an iron molder by day. Bold and fearless, he also went into slave territory to bring out people seeking freedom, and Kentucky slave owners placed a $1,000 bounty on his head.

Ripley, Ohio · United States