Joseph Ashbrook’s Rope Walk

5:00 - Rope Walk Map - Did you know that Hamilton had a rope making facility in the 1870s. Joseph Ashbrook owned a Rope Walk on the west side of Second Street, south of Hanover Street, Hamilton, Ohio. A rope walk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Many ropewalks were in the open air, while others were covered only by roofs. Ropewalks historically were harsh sweatshops, and frequently caught fire, as hemp dust ignites easily and burns fiercely. This map from the Second Ward of Hamilton, Ohio, 1875, shows the Joseph Ashbrook Rope Walk. Map from the “Combination Atlas Map of Butler County, Ohio”, by L. H. Everts, 1875. (Comment – Rope Walk Article, by Frederick Schneider, from The Hamilton Daily News, Hamilton, Ohio, May 19, 1923.)

Rope Walk Article, by Frederick Schneider, from The Hamilton Daily News, Hamilton, Ohio, May 19, 1923.