The story
Read it all →How Richford came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Richford.
On October 8, 1908, a grain elevator owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway exploded, killing thirteen people.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
AHistory
History · Richford
Richford’s post office opened in 1812, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 13 buildings. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1800.
1812first post office
9on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
6famous people
Quick answers
How Richford began
When was Richford founded?
1812
The Richford post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, East Richford (1855), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 113 in 18002020 census: 2,346214 years
How historic is Richford?
A
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Richford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Richford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richford is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richford’s overall grade.
Founding era1812, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194050.2% of homes (±7.2) · typical VT town 22.4% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register9 listings, 20 historic buildings, 81.1 per 10,000 residents · typical VT town 147 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder
Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Richford’s 81.1 sits near the middle of its state (53% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 20 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% 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 (±7.2 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 Richford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Richford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Richford’s homes were built before 1938.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1892 to 1920, drew every building in Richford.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Richford, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Richford’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Richford’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Every building
Richford, building by building, 1892–1920
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1892Sheet 1 of 2Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Richford, 1812 to 1977
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1812Post officeThe Richford post office opens
- 1839
Born hereE. Henry Powell is born here - 1851
Born hereJohn Blaisdell Corliss is born here - 1855Post officeThe East Richford post office opens
- 1869
Born hereMax L. Powell is born here - 1881
Born hereNelson A. Kellogg is born here - 1890
BuiltSheldon Boright House is built - 20th century
- 1904
BuiltF.W. Wheeler House is built - 1909
BuiltSweat-Comings Company House is built - 1929
BuiltMissisquoi River Bridge is built - 1954Post officeThe East Richford post office closes
- 1977
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Richford, decade by decade
2009
2008
2008
2008
2008
2007
2004
2003On the map
Richford on the map in 1977
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Richford.
1977Richford Port of Entry sheet · 1:25,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Richford.
On the National Register
9 historic places in Richford
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
9
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
20
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Downtown Richford Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsStructures
Architectural styles listings
Queen Anne3
Italianate2
Second Empire1
Georgian Revival1
Romanesque Revival1
Vernacular1
Downtown Richford Historic DistrictItalianate
Sheldon Boright HouseQueen Anne/Eastlake · Built 1890
Missisquoi River BridgeParker through truss bridge · Built 1929
St. Ann's Episcopal ChurchQueen Anne
F.W. Wheeler HouseQueen Anne · Built 1904
Richford Primary SchoolItalianate
Sweat-Comings Company HouseColonial Revival · Built 1909
U.S. Inspection Station-East Richford, VermontBuilding
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Richford, census by census
Between 113 and 2,907 people in every census since 1800.
23 censuses, 1800–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Richford’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →6 famous people were born in Richford
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Richford’s post office has been open since 1812. Another post office, East Richford, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Richford
East Richford
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
East RichfordSouth RichfordStevens Mills
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Richford
All SaintsBarnet MonumentHillsideRichford CenterSouth RichfordTroy Street
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Richford’s history
What year was Richford founded?
The Richford post office opened in 1812, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Richford rank for history?
Richford is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns. 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 Richford?
9 listings: 7 buildings, 1 historic district, the Downtown Richford Historic District, with 13 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 20 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Richford?
50% of Richford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1938.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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 (8), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.