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Rankin House > Tour Information

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Students will learn about the life of Rev. John Rankin and the anti-slavery movement of southwestern Ohio as they are led through the Rankin home.

The following tours/programs have condensed files that include links, content standards and other resources.
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Underground Railroad Program (April 26 and May 3, 2005 only) (269 k)

Stories of the Underground Railroad have enthralled us for years, but how much is fact and how much fiction? A program will be offered at Rev. John Rankin House on April 26 and May 3, 2005 only. This interactive and thought provoking program will go beyond the mystery and suspense and delve into basic freedoms of which we're all entitled. In addition to freedom, other themes highlighted include archaeology, individuals in history, rights and responsibilities, and geography.

Guided Tour: John Rankin House (September, October) (268 k)

Description: Students will learn of the Underground Railroad and one of the abolitionists, Rev. John Rankin, who stood against the odds to assist fugitive slaves to freedom from his small home that sets high on the bank of the Ohio River in the free state of Ohio. Larger groups will be divided.

The following lessons refer to the John Rankin House and the Underground Railroad, and have condensed files that include links, content standards, and other resources.
Requires Adobe Acrobat ® Reader, and will load in new browser windows.

Lesson: Choice or No Choice (128 k)
During the 1840s, included factors such as gender and race. These laws, which took their gender, race, and where they lived into consideration, determined the rights of people and therefore the choices they were allowed to make. This exercise examines background information about Rev. John Rankin, Jean Rankin, John Parker, and Arnold Gragston.

Lesson: Is It Breaking the Law? (140 k)
Rev. John Mahan, Rev. John Rankin, and others in Brown County, Ohio were not just making a choice to help slaves to freedom; they were making a conscious choice to break the law. This not only put them in danger of going to jail but also their family (some were left destitute).

Lesson: Freedom Timeline (121 k)
Through the years, under various circumstances, slavery has existed. The issue of whether the buying, selling, and keeping of slaves is morally right is centuries old. In North America, in the 18th and 19th centuries, people were on both sides of the issue and were debating and acting on their beliefs. This lesson focuses on placing many of these events on a timeline.

Lesson: Make a Choice (114 k)
There are many different choices people had to make during the Underground Railroad era - to help; to run; to stay; to do nothing; to break the law; to enforce the law; to make clothing; to feed runaways; or to look the other way, etc. During this the time, in order for the movement to be successful, it took a lot of people doing their own little or big part.