Richmond’s post office opened in 1812, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #17 of 38 in Rhode Island. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 186 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1947 on, and the census since 1790.
The Richmond post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name. Eight smaller post offices, Brand's Iron Works (1828), Mumford's Mills (1838) and Shamrock Mills (1839), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,760 in 17902020 census: 8,020214 years
How historic is Richmond?
A
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Richmond post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Richmond’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richmond is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #17 of 38 in Rhode Island. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richmond’s overall grade.
Rhode Island towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Rhode Island town has 94.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Richmond’s 241 sits above most of its state (82% of Rhode Island towns have fewer) while its 196 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Richmond’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Town of Richmond was originally part of the territory of Westerly, Rhode Island (1669 to 1747), which remained in dispute for several years among the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut Colony, and Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1665, King Charles II dissolved the charters of those three colonies and renamed the disputed area "King’s County". In May 1669, the General Assembly of Rhode Island organized King's County into the town of Westerly, and the town of Westerly organized itself into four separate areas: Westerly, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton.
Passages that mention Richmond, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the second pilgrimage to Richmond, by the Knights Templars of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, May, 18811882 · page 80Read the page →
Read the text
As you left to-day such a world of associations came flooding back on my memory, and all so full of delightful recollections. I saw, in memory, the reception of our dear Richmond friends in Boston, in 1858, now twenty-three years since, and again I saw that never to be forgotten reception we had, and I led, at Richmond in 1859 — dear old Brothers Winslow Lewis, John Flint, Charles Robbins, and last, but not least,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the second pilgrimage to Richmond, by the Knights Templars of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, May, 18811882 · page 143Read the page →
Read the text
of De Molay ; but it is duly appreciated by us, and we will keep and cherish it, as a token of the high regard and affectionate esteem existing between De Molay and Richmond, No. 2, and which we prize beyond measure. No meeting of the members of Richmond Commandery is ever held that some incident of our pilgrimage to Boston, or your pilgrimage to Richmond, and some pleasur-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Richmond, 1812 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Richmond post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Richmond rank for history?
Richmond is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #17 of 38 in Rhode Island. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Richmond?
6 listings: 2 buildings and 4 historic districts with 186 contributing buildings. 196 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Richmond?
20% of Richmond’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 20% for a Rhode Island town; the median home was built in 1985.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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