Ripley Historic District

Ripley's historic district covers the older part of an Ohio River town built on a steep hillside between the river and Red Oak Creek. Because the site could not expand freely, houses were built close together and stacked up the slope, many with porches and porticos facing the river. The district takes in the original plat laid out in 1812 and its first two additions, plus upper Fourth Street and a row of mansions on Upper Main Street. About 200 structures remain, including more than two dozen two-story brick houses with Federal and Greek Revival features from 1810 to 1850, seven churches, two schools, a library, a piano factory, and a tobacco warehouse. Alleys and footpaths climbing the hill resemble those of early Southern towns. Liberty Monument and eleven plaques recall the town's abolitionist and Civil War history. The district was listed for its well-preserved nineteenth-century character and its Virginia-influenced building traditions.