Richmond Town Staten Island NY HomesHistoric Richmond Town is a living history village and museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmondtown, Staten Island, in New York City. 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.Getting thereHistory[edit]
The creation of Historic Richmond Town was the joint effort of many Staten Islanders, led by the vision of local historians and preservationists: Loring McMillen, William T. Davis and local banker David L Decker. 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
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 37 minutes.[3] The S54 Manor Road bus provides local service weekdays.