The Liberty Monument that overlooks the Ohio River has been named to the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program.
Betty Campbell, who worked with the previous mayor to apply for the status, said it was recently approved.
According to Campbell, the Liberty Monument is more than 100 years old.
It was a gift from a man named Frank Gregg in 1912. It was given in honor of Ripley’s centennial celebration.
“It’s important because it talks about our founders, our history and Ripley’s role in the underground railroad movement,” she said. “I know we’re all very proud the role this village played in the movement.”
According to Campbell, the monument ties into the Network to Freedom program.
“The reason it ties into that program is…one of the signs on the monument says that the men who fought for liberty were the forerunners of the abolitionist movement culminating in the Civil War,” she said. “They were the intermediaries between the anti-slavery men of the American Revolution. They left their friends and homes and came to this military Virginia district.”
Campbell said the sign reads: “Here they freed the slaves and gave themselves over to the cause of liberty.”
Campbell said the National Park Service has a program within the NPS that is devoted to recognizing the underground railroad.
She said there was an application sent it for the monument to be listed on that program and it was recently approved.
“I felt like we should recognize our monument and the mayor agreed,” she said.
Campbell said she believes the monument is one of the oldest in the country that recognizes the underground railroad movement.
Campbell also raised some concerns over the Liberty Monument were expressed at a recent city council meeting.
“I think there is re-bar inside, which is what those bronze tablets are affixed to,” she said. “Last year, there were some repairs and painting done to it, but it seems to have gotten worse since then.”
According to Campbell, it is important to preserve the monument.
“What we need to think about further is how we’re going to preserve or do a replica, if it comes to that, of this monument,” she said. “It’s really one of the center points of the community.”
Campbell said there is funding available that can be applied for in the fall.
She also suggested a community-wide fundraiser in order to begin raising the money to assist with the restoration.
“That’s how we restored the Civil War cannon on the library grounds,” she said. “I think the people of Ripley can support something like this.”
She also said that at the Maplewood Cemetery, there are underground railroad conductors buried there and cemeteries are also eligible to be listed as a site.
“So that might be something to think about,” she said. “People come from all over the see the underground railroad sites in Ripley.”
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}