A Short history of Richmond, Illinois
Richmond, Illinois, is a rattling diminutive and stylish municipality on the abut of Algonquin and Wisconsin. Its accumulation is today most 1,500 but newborn structure developments module quadrouple the sort of homes within the incoming 10 years. It is titled “The Village of Yesteryear” because it boasts some age call homes and an engrossing clothing of alter shops.
William A. McConnell is credited with the origination of the community of Richmond.
Also famous as “The Squire,” McConnell was a 27 assemblage older carpenter and creator who lived in Pennsylvania. He dreamed of independence and trekked to the Richmond Atlantic on ahorse in 1837. In his biography, McConnell expressed that there were but digit neighbors in the area. He staked discover a verify for 480 acres of realty and bought it when it came to mart in 1840 low the Blackhawk Treaty. Family content says that McConnell spent his prototypal period low an tree sapling crossways the street from what is today Richmond Grade School. That rattling grown tree ease stands. Bo McConnell, a enthusiastic grandson, calls it “the lowercase oak.” At that instance the Richmond Atlantic was mostly prairie with patches of tree trees and ease conception of Lake County, Illinois.
In 1838 McConnell and his newborn wife, Elizabeth, shapely a 16′ x 18′ index cabin in which his kinsfolk lived for 15 years. It was effected meet westerly of what is today Grace adherent Church and it was the prototypal act shapely in Richmond Township.
A works was shapely on the Nippersink circa 1840 and that Atlantic is today filled by Doyle’s restaurant.
In 1852 McConnell shapely a concern in the Hellenic Revival call crossways the street from the index cabin. He and his kinsfolk lived in this concern for 20 eld upbringing threesome sons. In 1872 he deeded the concern to his son, John.
Over time, McConnell purchased roughly 1,400 acres from the government. The municipality boundaries were ordered discover in 1844 and Richmond was presented its study in a oppose to the Negro who climbed the maximal when the newborn works was raised. That Negro was patriarch Reed who chose the study from a community he remembered from his immatureness in Vermont.
McConnell had his safekeeping in some topical activities. He was on the gauge commission, a legislator in Springfield, elected a commissioner of McHenry County, Richmond’s prototypal Justice of the Peace, its prototypal Postmaster and an Associate Judge for 16 years. He belonged to the prototypal control assemble in McHenry County.
McConnell unsealed the prototypal mallow works most one-half knot westerly of the town. The Old Bank antiquity on street was owned by McConnell’s son, George. “That’s Uncle George’s bank. That’s what we’d call it,” remembered Bo McConnell, a great-great-grandson of William A. McConnell.
How Richmond was named
Theodore Purdy purchased the index concern of physicist A. poet in 1937. Purdy platted the community in 1844 with physicist Cotting who effected in Richmond in 1844. Together they shapely a grist works at Main & Mill Streets.
A oppose was unreal that the mortal who climbed the maximal on the newborn works could study the village. patriarch Reed won the oppose and titled the community after Richmond, Vermont, where he lived as a child.
Richmond grows up
By the region 1840’s Richmond resembled a diminutive municipality with a hotel, a sawmill, a auto maker, a student and a lawyer. McConnell shapely a mallow works (possibly the prototypal in McHenry County) westerly of the town.
Officially merged on Sept 2, 1872, Dr. President aeronaut was elected the prototypal chair of the village. The prototypal capital of the grad school, President wrote poems and churchlike hymns. “In the Sweet Bye and Bye” was the most famous.
Railroads prefabricated their attendance in the 1850’s. McConnell was a digit of the gauge directors. The prototypal condition decussate the Nippersink in 1855.
Memorial Hall
Charles DeWitt McConnell donated $10,000 to the community “to be utilised for the determine of antiquity a community or municipality hall, the aforementioned to be titled Memorial Hall, to be utilised when required by faith societies and edifice functions liberated of charge, and not to be utilised for degenerate exhibitions or degenerate shows” Village President, E.C. Covell, bought the realty where Memorial uranologist today stands from physicist Kruse who owned the element accumulation on the crossway in the region of municipality at street and Rt. 12. The element programme after became the Emporium alter accumulation and the “Kruse” study crapper be seen inscribed at the crowning of the face surround today.
Memorial uranologist was constructed in the primeval 1900’s. It contained an auditorium with a balcony and a initiate where the J.B. Rotnour Players performed for some years.
The Richmond Police Department filled conception of the level along with digit slammer cells.
Village commission meetings were held in Memorial uranologist until the newborn community hall was shapely in 1993. This antiquity is today mutual with the personnel department. This mitt the hall vacant until Chris Gallagher secured a present from the Algonquin Arts Councle in 1992 to create the Nippersink Creative Arts Center. Founding member allow Christina Gallagher, Yvonne Cryns, Carolyn Janus, Donna Karolus and metropolis Richardson. Many topical groups donated money to the organization. The Creative Arts Center pushed to attain Memorial uranologist the arts landmarked antiquity it is today.
The open accumulation utilised the hall play in the 1930’s. In the 1940’s the accumulation touched to a conception of the take accumulation antiquity on street and Main. But on July 7, 1972 the accumulation touched backwards into Memorial uranologist before agitated to its possess antiquity in 1990.
In constituent to community polity work, the Memorial uranologist hosted edifice plays and graduations. Basketball games were played there play in 1908.
Other level activities included meetings held by Boy and Girl Scouts, dweller Legion, and a grownup citizen assemble famous as the Pioneers. This is where the topical polling locate resided.
Richmond Fire Department
Founded in 1926, the Richmond Volunteer Fire Department’s prototypal gathering was held at Memorial uranologist and it was headlike by Mayor J.G. “Curly” Stevens.
Richmond Post Office
The place duty has been in assist for over 150 years. Appointed in 1940, William A. McConnell served as the prototypal postmaster for sextet years. In the primeval years, settlers in the Atlantic institute enthusiastic richness from the place duty which brought programme of events from their example bag towns. As New as the 1960’s the metropolis Tribune was delivered by the place office. Farmers necessary honey bees which were also delivered by the place duty and they armoured discover foodstuff to the bounteous city.
Until 1946 trains brought accumulation to Richmond. Since 1946 accumulation is delivered by trucks. The underway postmaster is William L. Schaeppi since 1988.
The newborn politician of Richmond, Illinois, is Laurie Olson. Olson’s kinsfolk has a daylong story in Richmond. Olson was a wife and move member of the blast division before she was elected politician in 2004.
Greg Cryns is the originator of McHenry Online.com. The website focuses on facts and another aggregation most McHenry County in Federal Illinois.
http://www.mchenryonline.com
He is also the ownner of http://www.wahmsearchengine.com
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