Historic Richmond Town
Encyclopedia
Historic Richmond Town is a living history village and museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmond, Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. It is located near the geographical center of the island, at the junction of Richmond Road and Arthur Kill Road.

It was formerly a county seat and commercial center which included the former courthouse of Richmond County, coterminous with the borough of Staten Island. The site also contains other former commercial and governmental buildings, as well as farm buildings and homes, some of which were relocated from other parts of Staten Island. Historic Richmond Town is a village comprising over 30 historic buildings and sites dating from the late 17th to the early 20th Century. Decker Farm, located about one mile from the center of Historic Richmond Town, features a farm stand and seasonal activities such as pumpkin picking.

History


The creation of Richmondtown was the joint effort of many Staten Islanders, led by the vision of two local historians and preservationists: Loring McMillen
Loring McMillen
Loring McMillen was Staten Island's official historian who preserved the works of Alice Austen and worked to restore Historic Richmond Town.-Biography:...

 and William T. Davis
William T. Davis
William Thompson Davis was an American naturalist, entomologist, and historian especially associated with Staten Island in New York City. He was prominent in the borough's affairs throughout his life....

. Fueled by the same Depression-era passion for historic preservation which resulted in the creation of Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...

, these men helped create a testament to Staten Island's rich history in an era of rapid development and urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

.

Established in 1958, Historic Richmond Town is a joint project of the Staten Island Historical Society
Staten Island Historical Society
The purpose of the Staten Island Historical Society is to create opportunities for the public to explore the diversity of the American experience, especially that of Staten Island and its neighboring communities, from the colonial period to the present day...

, an independent nonprofit cultural organization, and the City of New York, which owns the land and the buildings and supports part of its operations with public funds from the Department of Cultural Affairs.
The purpose of this museum village is to make visitors feel as if they are living in the 19th century. Visitors are able to have a first hand experience of what Historic Richmond Town once was.

Historic Richmond Town holds a lot of history dating back to the 18th century. People who lived in Richmond Town were mostly of Dutch, English, or French descent. The most common jobs were blacksmiths, shoemakers, and other types of craftsmanship. You can still visit these once worked in shops to see how they made a living back then. British troops were stationed in Richmond Town during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

.

Current setting

The village area occupies 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) of a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) site with 15 restored buildings. Anyone who comes to Historic Richmond Town has an opportunity to experience the lifestyle of a 300-year old colonial-era community. The two churches located outside the village are St. Andrew's Episcopal
St. Andrew's Church (Staten Island, New York)
The Church of St. Andrew is an historic Episcopal church located at Arthur Kill and Old Mill Roads on the north side of Richmondtown in Staten Island, New York....

 and St. Patrick's RC
St. Patrick's Church (Staten Island, New York)
The Church of St. Patrick is a Roman Catholic parish church under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Staten Island, New York City. The parish was established in 1862. The early Romanesque Revival-style building, built c.1860, was declared a New York City...

. A third church, the Reformed Dutch Church of Richmond, was demolished.

Exhibits

There are many exhibits to see in Historic Richmond Town. Voorlezer's House
Voorlezer's House
The Voorlezer's House is a historic clapboard frame house in Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island, New York. It is the oldest known schoolhouse in America, although it became a private residence for more than a century, and it is now owned and operated by the Staten Island Historical Society...

 is the oldest exhibit as well as the oldest standing elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

 in the United States. The Voorlezer House had many uses over time, this building also served as a religious meeting house and a residence for people to live in. Another exhibit to see is the Dutch Colonial farmhouse which was established in 1740. The Print Shop which was established in 1821. Historic Richmond Town houses one of the oldest operating printing press
Printing press
A printing press is a device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium , thereby transferring the ink...

es in America. Among the many structures are outstanding examples of Dutch Colonial and Greek revival architecture, such as The Stephens-Black House
The Stephens-Black House
The Stephens-Black House is a 19th century house featured in Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island, New York City.The deed to the Stephens-Black House suggests that its construction began shortly after 2 February 1837. It is located on a 25 by 100 foot plot at the corners of Center Street and...

, The John Bennett House
John Bennett House
The John Bennett House was built in 1839 with an addition built in 1854, was built as part of a real estate development near the Third County Courthouse in Historic Richmondtown, Staten Island, New York. This Greek Revival style residence was home to shipping merchant John Bennett and his family...

, The Guyon-Lake-Tysen House
The Guyon-Lake-Tysen House
Lake-Tysen House is a spacious farmhouse with Dutch and Flemish architectural details was built by Joseph Guyon on his farmstead in New Dorp, Staten Island in the United States. Most of its original interior woodwork, including both Georgian and Federal styles of paneling remains intact...

, The Britton Cottage
The Britton Cottage
The Britton Cottage was the residence of Nathaniel Lord Britton, a botanist and the creator of the New York Botanical Garden. The house was originally located at the intersection of New Dorp Lane and Cedar Grove Avenue in the New Dorp Beach section of Staten Island, New York. The oldest section of...

, The Christopher House
The Christopher House
The Christopher House is a stone farmhouse, originally built on the Provincial Governor Thomas Donegan's Staten Island estate. During the American Revolution, the house was the residence of Joseph Christopher, a member of the Richmond County Committee of Safety...

, the Crocheron House
Crocheron House
Jacob Crocheron, a Staten Island native and Manhattan merchant, built this house c.1819to serve as his retirement residence. Details of its exterior and interior structure show the influence of the Federal-period architecture of the lower Hudson Valley. It was relocated to Historic Richmond Town...

, the Boehm House
Boehm House
The Boehm House is located at 75 Arthur Kill Road/Richmond Road. This 1750 house, relocated from Greenridge as a part of Historic Richmondtown, was typical of rural New York during the American Revolution. Also on view: an exhibit of early building techniques and restorations.- Sources :*...

, the Treasure House
Treasure House
The Treasure House, in Staten Island, NYC, USA, dates to about 1700 with additions in 1740, 1790 and 1860. Samuel Grasset, a tanner and leather worker, built the original section of the house. A cord wainer , inn-keeper, stonemason, and coach trimmer were all later owners of the house in subsequent...

, the Meeting Center, and much more.

Visitors can walk into what were once lived in houses. These houses are fully furnished and there are daily demonstrations. Entertaining events are scheduled in every month, including county fairs, quilting classes, tavern concerts, pumpkin picking, historic tours, and a former chocolate factory. Historic Richmondtown offers pleasure and education for people of all ages, whether by merely walking around to enjoy the scenery or learning about what has happened in our past.

Richmond Town is featured prominently in the documentary A Walk Around Staten Island with David Hartman
David Hartman (TV personality)
David Downs Hartman is an American journalist and media host who began his media career as an actor. He currently anchors and hosts documentary programs on cable TV's History and on PBS. Hartman is best known as the first host of ABC's Good Morning America, from 1975 to 1987. As an actor, he...

 and Barry Lewis
Barry Lewis
Victor Barry Lewis was an English cricketer. Lewis was a right-handed batsman who played primarily as a wicketkeeper.Lewis made his debut for Dorset in the 1971 Minor Counties Championship against Oxfordshire...

.
The documentary which profiles the history and culture of Staten Island premiered on December 3, 2007 on PBS member station WNET
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...

, and can be seen in its entirety on the companion Web site http://www.thirteen.org/statenisland.

Events

Old Home Day,
The Bluegrass Festival,
The Summer Apprentice Program,
The Richmond County Fair,
Traditional Dinners, Tavern Concerts,
Pumpkin Picking on the Decker Farm (Weekends in October only) and
Festivals

Getting There

Richmondtown can be reached via public transportation by taking the S74 Arthur Kill Road bus from the St. George Ferry Terminal. The ride from the ferry terminal takes about 30 minutes. The S54 Manor Road bus provides local service weekdays.

See also


External links

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