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SERVING THE OHIO VALLEY SINCE 1852 www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010 Vol. 159 • No. 12 • 50 cents daily/$1.25 Sunday Historians Dig At Ripley Underground Railroad Site STEVE KEMME ly’s Bible, his eyeglasses, the first- digging an area beside the house to “We’re definitely going to learn THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER edition copy of Rankin’s 1826 anti- see if they can find anything of his- more about what took place here.” slavery book and part of a letter he toric value. She works for Ripley Heritage RIPLEY — With its legacy as a wrote. Because the Rankin site is a Inc., which manages the site for the haven on the road to freedom for They can look out the front win- National Historic Landmark, the Ohio Historical Society. The state hundreds of runaway slaves, the hill- dows, where lit candles guided fugi- state had to conduct the archaeologi- has owned the site since 1938. So far, top home of the Rev. John Rankin tive slaves from the Kentucky side of cal dig before placing an under- the dig has uncovered a pit cellar, and its contents attract continued the Ohio River. They can walk down ground heating and air-conditioning where people stored vegetables; evi- interest from historians and tourists. and back up the reconstructed 156- unit next to the house. The unit is dence of a possible horse corral; the Visitors enter the pre-Civil War era step stairway the fugitive slaves needed to protect the house and its foundation of a summer kitchen; and when they step into the simple two- climbed to get from the Ohio River artifacts from excessive heat and the top of a prehistoric earth oven. story house, built by Rankin in 1829 to Rankin’s house. cold, said Kim Schuette, Ohio His- Their discoveries include shards in Ripley, about 50 miles upriver For the last several weeks, interest torical Society spokeswoman. of stoneware from jugs and pots, a from Cincinnati. has shifted to what’s beneath the “Everyone in the community is horse’s skull, dozens of nails, a slate They can observe the period fur- Rankin site. excited about the excavation,” said pencil, a projectile point dating to nishings and some of Rankin’s pos- Archaeologists hired by the Ohio Betty Campbell, site manager for the sessions, including the Rankin fami- Historical Society are painstakingly Rankin House State Memorial. See RAILROAD, A3 Closing Up NB School Black Bear Wanders Around Changes DOW JONES Building Plans 10,258.99 +285 Kmart Parking Lot ■ STOCKS, A3 Village Delays Permit BY RYAN SCOTT SPORTS OTTNEY PDT STAFF WRITER Only one day after New Boston Village Administrator Steve Hamilton said he was ready to issue a work permit to build a new New Boston school building, a project meeting has introduced more changes that Hamilton said will delay his approval of the plans. The school has spent several months battling with the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) to determine the best site to build its new school build- ing. The school met with the commission in Columbus on May 13 where they finally A Good Day agreed to pursue the site on Three county teams ■ Lakeview Avenue. The commis- advance in tournament Submitted photo Daily Times sion advised that the school Wendy Payton, Portsmouth animal cotnrol officer, took this photo of a black bear passing by her vehicle Thursday. ■ SPORTS, B1 would first need Hamilton’s approval before they (the OSFC) Bears In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear could formally accept the site. Hamilton initially expressed BY FRANK LEWIS bear) was right behind Kmart.” said. “When he came through that concern for the site, and said he PDT STAFF WRITER Payton said the bear had spent wall, there was a mud hole there, would not sign off any project Wednesday night through Thurs- and he started drinking the water, until he could be sure the dis- It’s big news in a community day morning running between the and then he walked to the truck. I placed water would not increase when a black bear is suddenly Eighth Street viaduct, along the couldn’t stick my arm out the the risk of flooding in that area. spotted. And while most people railroad tracks and the area of window, so I just took a picture He met with Howerton Engineer- run away from them, it is Wendy Kmart in New Boston. out the side view mirror.” ing and the Ohio Department of Grad Tab Payton’s job to go toward them. “It ran across the railroad tracks Payton captured a photo on her Natural Resources Tuesday Honoring the best of the Payton is Portsmouth’s Animal onto the Kmart parking lot and it cell phone of what appears to be a morning, and said he felt confi- Class of 2010 Control officer, and probably did a big circle. It kept hiding very young bear . dent that the site would not cause an increased risk. More than that, ■ INSIDE TODAY wasn’t planning on getting a call under the railroad cars. The men “We sat on one side and the rail- Thursday morning about a black were out trying to do their work, road officials sat on the other side, he said the plans submitted to bear at Kmart when she started and he kept popping in and out and he walked up to my truck, on him indicated there would be a her day, but it happened neverthe- under the train,” Payton said. the passenger side rear tire,” Pay- reduced risk, because holding Weather less. Payton said there is a hole in the ton said. “He crawled up on the tire ponds installed around the school “The (Norfolk Southern) Rail- large wall by the railroad tracks, and sniffed my Animal Control would collect even more water road Enforcement called us. It and they ran the bear through the than the site will displace. Today T-storm High 85 was probably about 20 till 9 hole. Tonight T-storm Low 61 (a.m.)” Payton said. “It (the black “He was very thirsty,” Payton See BEAR, A3 See PERMIT, A3 High Low Outlook FRI 81 61 T-storms SAT 81 59 P. Sunny SUN 85 59 M. Clear Area Gets Set For Memorial Weekend Activities MON 81 61 T-storms PDT STAFF REPORT • Memorial Day The Wheelersburg community will do the honors of kicking off activities at the Memorial Day weekend with a Greenlawn Saturday morning parade and a ceremony. Cemetery, The annual Wheelersburg Kiwa- Page A3. nis Memorial Day parade will assemble at 10 a.m. at the Wheel- • Everett Williams ersburg Kroger store on Ohio River Road, and will begin at 11 to serve as grand a.m., ending at the Porter Town- marshal in Obituaries ship Community Park. This year’s Wheelersburg, parade grand marshal will be • Donald Dyer Everett Williams. Immediately fol- Page A3. • Elaine Hammond lowing the parade at noon will be • Frederick Jones the Memorial Service at the Porter The remainder of Memorial Day • Charles Pack Township Community Park. The events will be held on Monday, • Harold Sanders Memorial Service guest speaker with Portsmouth leading the way. • William Vaughn will be Gregory Emnett, First Vice The Scioto County Memorial Commander of the American Day Association will begin the See Page A2 Legion of Ohio’s Seventh District. day’s festivities at 9 a.m. with Sunday, the Greenup County KIA/MIA services at Tracy Park War Memorial Committee will with Carl E. Davis acting as master Index have a Memorial Day Celebration of ceremonies. Frank Lewis will be Advice ......B5 Local....A2-10 at 2 p.m. at the War Memorial Park the guest speaker. Calendar ..A2 Lotteries....B2 at Wurtland. Ken Lucas, commis- At 10 a.m., a procession will Class ......B6-7 Puzzles ....B4 sioner of the Kentucky Department leave Tracy Park, travel south on Comics......B4 Sports....B1-3 of Veterans Affairs, will be the fea- Chillicothe to Gallia — east on tured speaker. Melanie Sparks, Gallia to Offnere — then up Education A4 TV ............B5 Rev. Jim Coleman and Tony Wil- Offnere Street to Greenlawn son will provide special music. A Cemetery for 11:30 a.m. Memorial new statue recently acquired will Day services at Soldier’s Circle, be unveiled. Refreshments will be where James R. Saddler will be file ■ Daily Times served by the Greenup AMVETS This year’s Memorial Day festivities will begin at 9 a.m. Monday with KIA/MIA serv- Post 95 following the ceremony. See MEMORIAL, A3 ices in Tracy Park. A2 Friday, May 28, 2010 Portsmouth Daily Times LOCAL Obituaries Bible Verse For all of Your Charles Junior Micah 6:8 Silk Floral Needs Pack, 77 He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what Making Your House A Home 740-574-0777 Charles Junior Pack, 77, doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love 7958 OHIO RIVER RD., WHEELERSBURG, OH (across from Lowes) of Firebrick, Ky., went to to mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? be with his Lord, Thurs- Service Schedule day, May 27, 2010, at his • Roy Kevin Brown — Portsmouth. rison-Pyles Funeral Home byterian Church in Waver- residence. 11 a.m. Friday at Mt. Olive • Ronald D. Bapst — in Wheelersburg. Interment ly. Interment in Mount He was born in Fullerton, Baptist Church. Interment Graveside services 1 p.m. in Haverhill Cemetery. Albion Cemetery. No visi- Ky., June 12, 1932, a son of in Woodland Cemetery. Friday at Beaver Union Callers 6 to 9 p.m.