In 1829, Reverend John Rankin and his wife, Jean, moved into a home high above the village of Ripley and the banks of the Ohio River. While they lived there, their home became an important station on the Underground Railroad. From its hilltop location, it offered a wide view up and downstream of the Ohio River and could be seen from across the river in Kentucky. The Rankins kept a light burning in a front window as a beacon for runaway slaves, guiding them across the river and toward the house.