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I recently visited the Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio ... one of the most famous stops on the underground railroad where the Reverend John Rankin and his family sheltered more than 2,000 escaped slaves (up to 12 at a time) over the course of almost 40 years during the 1800s. This was also the house mentioned in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" as the spot where Eliza crosses the Ohio River on the crumbling ice.

The "Freedom Staircase" was the wooden staircase hidden in the woods behind the Rankin House that escaped slaves used to climb from the river and the city of Ripley up to the top of the hill where the house was located. The staircase was rebuilt years ago since the original staircase was too dangerous for people to use, but I always wanted to photograph this giant staircase.

The amazing thing is that this is just a "portion" of the giant staircase. I can't imagine what it must have been like to climb the original staircase after traveling across multiple states on foot.