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History · Richmond

A history of Richmond,
since 1806

Postcards, papers and photographs of Richmond from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

1806established
21old images & papers
19historic places
0recent photos
From Richmond’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

In 1806 the first European Americans in the area, Quaker families from the state of North Carolina, settled along the East Fork of the Whitewater River. This was part of a general westward migration in the early decades after the American Revolution. John Smith and Jeremiah Cox were two of the earliest settlers, and the area that was to become Richmond was originally divided into the towns of Smithville and Coxborough (also known as Jericho). Richmond is still home to several Quaker institutions, including Friends United Meeting, Richmond Friends School, Earlham College and the Earlham School of Religion.

Downtown explosion

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1806Established
1860s2 items · Glass conservatory, Richmond, IndianaCommons
1884The city of Richmond, Indiana 1884Commons
1890s5 items · Starr Piano Factory(Cropped)Commons
1900s2 items · Bridgland-Gaar MansionCommons
1910s2 items · PostcardRichmondINRichmondHighSchoolC…Commons
1924Morton HS basketball-1924Commons
1930s8 items · Kinney's Motel, U. S. Highway 40... 3…Commons
1940–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish Richmond’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

4 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewPostcardRichmondINRichmondHighSch…, c. 1911: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Richmond

See all 60 →
MHMary HaasWriting & ArtsDesmond BaneDesmond BaneSportsNorman FosterNorman FosterFilm, TV & StageNed RoremNed RoremMusicJames MooneyJames MooneyWriting & ArtsRich MullinsRich MullinsMusic
By decade

Richmond, decade by decade

1860s2 items
Glass conservatory, Richmond, IndianaCommonsGlass conservatory, Richmond, Indianac. 1865Glass conservatory, Richmond, IndianaCommonsGlass conservatory, Richmond, Indianac. 1865
1880s1 item
The city of Richmond, Indiana 1884CommonsThe city of Richmond, Indiana 18841884
1890s5 items
Starr Piano Factory(Cropped)CommonsStarr Piano Factory(Cropped)1893StarrLogoCommonsStarrLogo1893Scene in courtroom, Morrison Will case at Richmond, Indiana, in 1895. The longest jury trial in the U.S. up to that tim…CommonsScene in courtroom, Morrison Will case at Richmond, Indiana…1895Scene in courtroom, Morrison Will case at Richmond, Indiana, in 1895. The longest jury trial in the U.S. up to that tim…LOCScene in courtroom, Morrison Will case at Richmond, Indiana…1895Noah H. Hutton HouseCommonsNoah H. Hutton House1896
1900s2 items
Bridgland-Gaar MansionCommonsBridgland-Gaar Mansion1906Starr-showroom-croppedCommonsStarr-showroom-cropped1906
1910s2 items
PostcardRichmondINRichmondHighSchoolCirca1911CommonsPostcardRichmondINRichmondHighSchoolCirca1911c. 1911 · postcardStarr-Piano-ad(cropped)CommonsStarr-Piano-ad(cropped)1911
1920s1 item
Morton HS basketball-1924CommonsMorton HS basketball-19241924
1930s8 items
Kinney's Motel, U. S. Highway 40... 3 miles west of... Richmond, Indiana (87954)CommonsKinney's Motel, U. S. Highway 40... 3 miles west of... Rich…c. 19301008 J STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, Eleventh, A, and E StreetsCommons1008 J STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, E…1933218-20 S. ELEVENTH ST. - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, Eleventh, A, and E StreetsCommons218-20 S. ELEVENTH ST. - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South …1933229 S. SECOND STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, Eleventh, A, and E StreetsCommons229 S. SECOND STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Se…1933229 S. SECOND STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, Eleventh, A, and E StreetsCommons229 S. SECOND STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Se…1933230 S. THIRD STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, Eleventh, A, and E StreetsCommons230 S. THIRD STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Sec…1933232 S. THIRD STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, Eleventh, A, and E StreetsCommons232 S. THIRD STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Sec…1933236 S. THIRD STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Second, Eleventh, A, and E StreetsCommons236 S. THIRD STREET - Workers' Cottages, Bound by South Sec…1933
1940s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

19 historic places in Richmond

Richmond has 19 listings on the National Register, and they protect 1,258 historic buildings, because Old Richmond Historic District (Boundary Increase and Decrease) alone counts 557.

#11
In Indianaby listings · most towns there have none
19places listed12 buildings · 7 districts
0National Historic LandmarksNone here yet
1,258historic buildings protectedcounting each building in a district
1974first listedOld Richmond Historic District · newest: Oliver P. and Mary Alice Gaar House, 2017

Where they are

Tap a dot for a photo and link. Districts show at their center.
Old Richmond Historic DistrictStarr Historic DistrictBethel A.M.E. ChurchAndrew F. Scott HouseHicksite Friends Meetinghouse (Wayne County Museum)Earlham College ObservatoryWayne County CourthouseMurray TheaterHenry and Alice Gennett HouseLeland HotelEast Main Street-Glen Miller Park Historic DistrictRichmond Railroad Station Historic DistrictMary Birdsall HouseDavid Worth Dennis HouseReeveston Place Historic DistrictRichmond Downtown Historic DistrictRichmond High SchoolOliver P. and Mary Alice Gaar HouseOld Richmond Historic District (Boundary Increase and Decrease)
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles

From each listing’s National Archives record · 10 of 19 name a style
Italianate4
Greek Revival3
Queen Anne3
Victorian2
Second Empire2
Classical Revival2

When they were listed

The Register began in 1966. Richmond’s busiest decade was the 1970s.
Old Richmond Historic DistrictListed 1974Old Richmond Historic DistrictFederalCommerceTransportationBlack historyStarr Historic DistrictListed 1974Starr Historic DistrictVictorianIndustryCommerceEngineeringBethel A.M.E. ChurchListed 1975Bethel A.M.E. ChurchNeo-Classical · Built 1854EducationPoliticsArchitectureAndrew F. Scott HouseListed 1975Andrew F. Scott HouseItalianateCommerceArtPoliticsHicksite Friends Meetinghouse (Wayne County Museum)Listed 1975Hicksite Friends Meetinghouse (Wayne County Museum)BuildingArchitectureReligionEarlham College ObservatoryListed 1975Earlham College ObservatoryVictorianEducationScienceArchitectureWayne County CourthouseListed 1978Wayne County CourthouseRichardsonian RomanesqueArchitectureMurray TheaterListed 1982Murray TheaterBeaux Arts · Built 1909RecreationArchitectureHenry and Alice Gennett HouseListed 1983Henry and Alice Gennett HouseBuildingArchitecturePerforming artsLeland HotelListed 1985Leland HotelBuildingTown planningCommerceTransportationEast Main Street-Glen Miller Park Historic DistrictListed 1986East Main Street-Glen Miller Park Historic DistrictDistrictTown planningLandscape designArchitectureRichmond Railroad Station Historic DistrictListed 1987Richmond Railroad Station Historic DistrictDistrictIndustryCommerceTransportationMary Birdsall HouseListed 1999Mary Birdsall HouseBuildingArchitectureSocial historyPoliticsDavid Worth Dennis HouseListed 2001David Worth Dennis HouseLate Victorian · Built 1895EducationArchitectureReeveston Place Historic DistrictListed 2003Reeveston Place Historic DistrictGreek RevivalArchitectureTown planningLandscape designRichmond Downtown Historic DistrictListed 2011Richmond Downtown Historic DistrictItalianateArchitectureCommerceRichmond High SchoolListed 2015Richmond High SchoolBuildingEducationArchitectureArtOliver P. and Mary Alice Gaar HouseListed 2017Oliver P. and Mary Alice Gaar HouseBuildingArchitectureListed 2003Old Richmond Historic District (Boundary Increase and Decrease)DistrictArchitectureExploration/SettlementSocial history
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · styles from the National Archives catalog · photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place

Then & now

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Glass conservatory, Richmond, Indiana (c. 1865) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Wayne📜 Spring Grove📜 Boston📜 New Paris

From Wikimedia Commons (20), the Library of Congress (1) and the National Register (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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