Exhibit Review: The John P. Parker House, Ripley, Ohio

Abstract

Exhibit ReviewThe John P. Parker House, Ripley, Ohio Martha H. Good The John P. Parker House is on the northern bank of the Ohio River in Ripley Ohio, fifty-two miles east of Cincinnati. Born a slave, Parker bought his freedom in 1845 and settled in Ripley a few years later, molding iron by day and helping fugitive slaves cross the Ohio by night. The original two-story red brick structure at 300 North Front Street was built by Parker in 1849; he lived there with his wife and six children until his death in 1900. When Parker’s widow moved to Cincinnati, the house deteriorated. The roofless shell was near collapse when the John P. Parker Historical Society purchased it and began restoration in the mid-1990s. From May to October Parker House is open to visitors Fridays and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for students five to eighteen, and no charge for children under five. Group tours are available year-round by calling 937-392-4188. Visitors enter through the side entrance, where there is a small gift shop and elevator to the second floor. From there, they enter the front hall and parlor, which is an orientation room. Docent Dewey Scott provides an engaging chronology of John P. Parker’s life as a slave, abolitionist, inventor, entrepreneur, husband, and father. Behind the front parlor is a larger room displaying powerful paintings commissioned for Parker House. Because there are no known portraits or photos of Parker, the artists used their imagination to create his image. Louisville artist Mark Priest created four canvases depicting the life of Parker from [End Page 88] slave boy in Virginia to his freedom in Alabama at eighteen; each is based upon and accompanied by quotes from Parker’s memoir, His Promised Land. Click for larger view View full resolution John P. Parker and his family lived in this house for more than fifty years. (Source: Photo by Martha H. Good) On the opposite wall, a replica of the boat he used to carry runaway slaves across the Ohio is filled with seven paintings showing scenes of fugitive slaves’ journey by Ripley artist Allen Schwartz. Above the boat is a three-panel painting showing Ripley in pink while a giant Parker, with feet on both sides of the Ohio, stoops down, his hands guiding a small boat of escaping slaves across the river. The second-floor front room is outfitted as a bedroom with period furniture and accessories. But visitors are reminded of the authenticity of the site by a sign painted on the original floor telling them that they are standing where Parker once stood. All four walls of the rear second-floor room are covered with additional information about Parker and events of his time. One wall documents his transition from slave child in Virginia to freedman in Ripley. Another wall provides information about the Underground Railroad, the Black Brigade, [End Page 89] the United States Colored Troops, and post–Civil War amendments to the Constitution. A third wall details Parker’s three patents and the recognition he received for them. There are models of his inventions in display cases in the middle of the room. The fourth wall conveys “The Parker Legacy,” including how Parker’s memoir was discovered and published, the formation of the Parker Historical Society, the Parker House restoration, and the individuals and groups who helped create this charming museum. This compact museum is a delightful place to visit and it is an easy daytrip from Cincinnati. A visit to Parker House can be combined with a tour of the John Rankin House, high on a hill just minutes from Parker House. In addition, the route from Cincinnati to Ripley along the Ohio River Scenic Byway (Route 52), passes by Ulysses S. Grant’s birthplace in Point Pleasant and through New Richmond, another charming Ohio River town well worth a visit. [End Page 90] Martha H. Good Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House Copyright © 2016 The Kent State University Press