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The Wayne County Historical Museum educates, promotes, collects, preserves, and interprets the rich heritage of Wayne County, Indiana and illustrates the county’s role in American and World Culture.
- About
In 1930 the Wayne County, Indiana Historical Society...
- Donating Artifacts
The Wayne County Historical Museum (WCHM ) welcomes gifts of...
- Education
Wayne County Historical Museum is accepting reservations for...
- Exhibits
Wayne County: Indiana’s Gateway to Racing Signature Exhibit...
- Facility Rentals
Facility Rentals - Wayne County Historical Museum in...
- Get Involved
Volunteer help is a critical factor in the life of...
- Collaborative Fieldtrips
Collaborative Fieldtrips - Wayne County Historical Museum in...
- Virtual Archaeology Camp
Virtual Archaeology Camp - Wayne County Historical Museum in...
- About
- First Settlers
- Greenville Treaty
- First Streets Laid Out
- Richmond Named and Incorporated
- Better Transportation Routes Encourage Growth
- First Post Office Established
- National Road Surveyed
- Second Oldest Newspaper in The State
- Bank Established
- Education Considered Important
Founded by North Carolina Quakers who settled along the Whitewater River in 1806, Richmond capitalized on the location as a trading and transportation center and became the county seat of Wayne county in 1873. The first permanent settlers on the present site of Richmond were John Smith and Jeremiah Cox, two North Carolina Quakers who arrived in 180...
When Smith and Cox acquired land on the site of Richmond, the only part of Indiana Territory open for settlement was east of the old Greenville Treaty boundary. This line ran from Fort Recovery, Ohio, in a southwesterly direction to a point on the Ohio River, opposite the mouth of the Kentucky River. It was established in 1795 by General (Mad) Anth...
John Smith, owner of the land south of Main Street, came to the conclusion in 1816that there should be a system and plan to govern the location of the houses and streets in the settlement. For that reason, he proposed to his neighbor, Jeremiah Cox, whose farm adjoined his to the north, that they lay out the town site. Jeremiah Cox refused to enter ...
In the meantime, Smith had named his settlement Smithville. So Cox, using part of his name, Jeremiah, had called his collection of houses Jericho. Both towns settled East of the river so there was no need to build a bridge. Settlers did not like either name so they accepted Richmond, suggested by David Hoover, as a compromise. On September 1, 1818,...
In the summer of 1807 they build a road to Eaton, Ohio to give them a direct connection with the "Wayne Trace," the old military road built by General (Mad) Anthony Wayne from Fort Washington (Cincinnati) to Greenville in his Indiana campaigns. Elkhorn settlers built a road between Elkhorn and Salisbury, the county seat. The only two roads entering...
The first post office in Richmond was established in 1818with Robert Morrisson appointed as postmaster. In 1829 when he was succeeded by Daniel Reid. Mails arrived every two weeks, provided the carrier was not delayed by rain or snow. The post office was opened in a frame building at the corner of Main and Front (4th Street) and later moved to the ...
The National Road, now U.S. 40, was surveyed to Richmond in 1827. A covered bridge across the Whitewater River at the foot of Main Street was completed in 1836. Other means of transportation were explored with the Whitewater Canal.
The first issue of the Richmond Palladium was printed January 1, 1831, and therewith became the founder of a journalistic enterprise that 150 years later had the unusual distinction of being the second oldest newspaper in Indianafrom the standpoint of continuous publication. In 1907 it acquired the Sun-Telegram and consolidated it with the Palladiu...
The first bank in Richmond was a branch of the State Bank of Indiana which opened in December of 1834on the northeast corner of Main and Pearl (5th Street) and was in operation until 1865. The First National Bank was established in 1863 and is the oldest national bank in the state of Indiana and the sixth oldest national bank in the United States.
Earlham College, which has an enrollment of about 1,200 is known as a liberal arts school. It was founded by the Society of Friends in 1847. Many of its graduates have attained fame as scientists and educators. Among these is Wendell Stanley, a famed scientist. A science building on campus bears his name. Indiana University East is the outgrowth of...
Historic Richmond Indiana Photos. This is the Facebook home for Historic photos of Richmond and Wayne County Indiana. Everyone is encouraged to add their own photos.
The Indiana Historical Society Archives and Library collects, preserves and makes accessible one of the largest archival repositories documenting the history of Indiana from its early exploration and settlement to the present. The IHS collection includes more than: 100,000 digital collection items. 5,450 processed manuscript collections.
Richmond is noted for its rich stock of historic architecture. In 2003, a book entitled Richmond Indiana: Its Physical Development and Aesthetic Heritage to 1920 by Cornell University architectural historians, Michael and Mary Raddant Tomlan, was published by the Indiana Historical Society.
Wayne County Indiana Historical Society in Richmond, Indiana. Founded in 1930, the museum houses a diverse collection of artifacts, documents, and exhibits that bring Wayne County's history to life, including a 3,500-year-old Egyptian mummy.