History
The creation of Historic Richmond Town was the joint effort of many Staten Islanders, led by the vision of two local historians and preservationists: Loring McMillen and William T. Davis. Fueled by the same Depression-era passion for historic preservation which resulted in the creation of Colonial Williamsburg, these men helped create a testament to Staten Island's rich history in an era of rapid development and urban sprawl.
Established in 1958, Historic Richmond Town is a joint project of the Staten Island Historical Society, 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.
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“Let us not underrate the value of a fact; it will one day flower in a truth. It is astonishing how few facts of importance are added in a century to the natural history of any animal. The natural history of man himself is still being gradually written.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)
“Man watches his history on the screen with apathy and an occasional passing flicker of horror or indignation.”
—Conor Cruise O’Brien (b. 1917)