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All the United States New York State New York City Staten Island Historic Richmond Town

Historic Richmond Town

A town trapped in time - 1958 to be exact.

Staten Island, New York

Added By
Hannah Frishberg
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Rezeau-Van Pelt Family Cemetery, graves date from the 1780s - 1860s   Hannah Frishberg
Wind vane on top of the 3rd Countr Court House   Hannah Frishberg
Sanitary Luncheon: Good Food Served   Hannah Frishberg
3rd County Courthouse c. 1837   Hannah Frishberg
Eltingville Store/Print Shop c.1860   Hannah Frishberg
Inside the Kruser-Finley House   Hannah Frishberg
Kruser-Finley House c.1790   Hannah Frishberg
Hand done woodwork with 19th century tools   Hannah Frishberg
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About

What to do when you lose your county seat? Stop time.

At least, that's how Historic Richmond Town dealt with the end of their hey day as Staten Island's commercial and civic center. Originally a crossroads settlement, Richmond Town became the center for business and government on Staten Island in the 1700s, bustling with blacksmiths and shoemakers and court sessions. But by the time SI became a part of the five New York City boroughs in 1898, the once happening town found itself in a gradual decline. So they stopped moving forward!

Established in 1958, soaked in the same depression-era passion which created other historic preservation sites (like Colonial Williamsburg), Historic Richmond Town was a joint effort of the Staten Island Historical Society and the City of New York, the purpose being "not to freeze a single moment in time, but to create a journey through time". Today, over 30 original historical structures (not reconstructed or rebuilt; the real deal) including homes, commercial, and civic buildings have been preserved on over 100 acres in Richmond Town, including NYC's oldest continuously operating farm and one of the oldest homes in the country, still standing on its original location after almost 350 years. 

It's a bizarre hunk of the past preserved in what's otherwise arguably the most modern city in the world, and while visiting is certainly very interesting, stumbling upon it is beyond bizarre. 

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Monuments Preservation

Know Before You Go

Take the S74 Arthur Kill Road bus from the St. George Ferry Terminal. The ride from the ferry terminal takes about 37 minutes. The S54 Manor Road bus provides local service weekdays.

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Added By

Hannah Frishberg

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Rachel, wherearewedude

  • Rachel
  • wherearewedude

Published

November 8, 2013

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Historic Richmond Town
441 Clarke Avenue
Staten Island, New York, 10306
United States
40.569919, -74.144839
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