Settlement of this area goes back to 1735, when Governor Johnathan Belcher of Massachusetts first chartered the town of Richmond.

 

Boundary disagreements between the providences of New Hampshire and Massachusetts led to an appeal.  King George II of England on behalf of New Hampshire, decreed the official boundaries in 1740. As a result, when the boundary lines were drawn, Richmond fell on the New Hampshire side.

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In 1752, Richmond was incorporated as a town by Governor Benning Wentworth. It was named after Charles Lennox, the 3rd Duke of Richmond who was an advocate of colonial independence. By 1757, emigrants from Rhode Island and Massachusetts moved to the area. The town grew rapidly with the development of grist and saw mills.

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The establishment of local industries such as tanneries, blacksmith shops, hatters, and shoemakers drew people to this town. Public houses were established to serve travelers passing through. Richmond reached its high point in population by 1800 with 1,390 residents.

 

Many of the early settlers to this area were dissenters to the crown and disbelievers lacking any religious beliefs. It has been said, “in no other town, perhaps, outside of Rhode Island, was the Puritan element less distinguishable than in the town of Richmond.” Early churches did not prosper like they did in other communities around Richmond. Despite this, the Baptist brought witness of the Lord to town of Richmond between the time period of 1767-1768, becoming one of the first Baptist congregations in New Hampshire.

 

As was the custom in those days, a meeting house was built. Generally, in most towns, the people would pay a “ministerial tax” to support construction of a meeting house. But that was not the case in Richmond. Here, the town invested no money of any kind for the meeting house. The project was entirely funded by the people of the church. The meeting house was completed in 1780, and housed Richmond’s first Baptist Church. The structure, which is still standing today, has become the Richmond Town Hall.

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In 1790, a great revival swept the community. A hundred people from this town were converted to Christianity. This was the beginning of a revival known as the Second Great Awakening that actually began here in New England during the 1790’s. Yet many historians claim the Second Great Awakening only occurred from 1795 to 1835. And it is often associated with the 1801 Cane Ridge Revival that took place in Kentucky.

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The church which currently is the Richmond Community United Methodist Church was built in 1838. Please visit our Church History Page to learn more. 

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Today, the town of Richmond has a population of 1, 127 people. It has a racial makeup of 98% White, with the remaining 2% comprised of Blacks, Latinos, Native Americas, Asians and mixed races.

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The center of the town is called the Four Corners. Not far from the center is "The Old Brick Church," Town Hall,  Veterans Hall, the Fire Station and town pavilion, a Tramp House from the great depression, and the local library. A monthly newsletter, "The Richmond Rooster," continues to serve as the primary source of communication here.

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For more information about the town of Richmond, NH, please visit:

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Town of Richmond , New Hampshire (nh.gov)

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Home | Richmond N.H. Historical Society (richmondnhhistoricalsociety.com)