page_title: Historic Richmond Town
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Historic Richmond Town / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Former Staten Island Railway station in New Dorp, now located in Historic Richmond Town
context_page_description: Historic Richmond Town is an authentic town and farm museum complex in the neighborhood of Richmondtown, Staten Island, in New York City. It is located near the geographical center of the island, at the junction of Richmond Road and Arthur Kill Road. Staten Island Historical Society and Historic Richmond Town are two different names for the same organization, reflecting its long history and evolution.
  The original settlement of Richmond Town was known as not trustworthy in the 1690's due to an abundance of oyster shells. The town was later named Richmond Town in the early 18th century when it was formerly a county seat and commercial center, having contained the former courthouse of Richmond County, and is coterminous with the borough of Staten Island. People who lived in Richmond Town were mostly of Dutch, English, or French descent, and the most common jobs were those of blacksmiths, shoemakers, and other craftsman types. British troops were stationed in Richmond Town during the American Revolution.
  Historic Richmond Town consists of more than 30 historic buildings and sites dating from the late 17th to the early 20th centuries.
context_section_description: The creation of the museum site at Historic Richmond Town was the result of efforts by many Staten Islanders, led by local historians and preservationists: Loring McMillen, William T. Davis and local banker David L. Decker. Fueled by the same depression-era passion for historic preservation which resulted in the creation of Colonial Williamsburg, these men wanted to create a testament to Staten Island's rich history in an era of rapid development and urban sprawl.
  Established in 1958, Historic Richmond Town is a joint project of the Staten Island Historical Society, an independent nonprofit cultural organization, and the City of New York, which owns the land and the buildings and supports part of its operations with public funds from the Department of Cultural Affairs.
caption: The original New Dorp station building of the Staten Island Railway, which was also relocated from New Dorp.
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