Immortalized in Harriett Beecher Stowe’s bestseller, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Eliza fled her Kentucky slave owner and sought refuge in Ripley, Ohio. Eliza crossed the Ohio River at Ripley and climbed the hill to the home of Underground Railroad conductor, Reverend John Rankin. After a respite, she was escorted North by one of the sons of Reverend Rankin. The book’s character, Eliza, became the symbol of the desperate plight of enslaved Americans. Ripley native, Amber Dudley, portrays Eliza at the door of the home of reverend Rankin. Amber’s great-grandparents, Lindsey and Polly Jackson, were former slaves who settled in Ripley. A R-U-H-L graduate, Amber moved to Columbus and attended Ohio State University. She is the mother of four children, Niya, Jaden, Jaki and Nigel Royal. She is active in her church, Beebe Chapel, where she is a stewardess, usher, worship leader and director of the children’s choir. Amber is employed at Glenro in Maysville Kentucky.