Richmond

History

In 1806 the first European Americans in the area, Quaker families from the state of North Carolina, settled along the East Fork of the Whitewater River. This was part of a general westward migration in the early decades after the American Revolution. John Smith and Jeremiah Cox were two of the earliest settlers, and the area that was to become Richmond was originally divided into the towns of Smithville and Coxborough (also known as Jericho). Richmond is still home to several Quaker institutions, including Friends United Meeting, Richmond Friends School, Earlham College and the Earlham School of Religion. In 1818, Smithville amalgamated with Coxborough and incorporated as the town of Richmond. The name is believed to refer to the area's "rich soil" (from the Old French riche (rich/wealthy) and mont (hill)). The town was officially incorporated as a city in 1840, with John Sailor elected the first mayor. Early cinema and television pioneer Charles Francis Jenkins grew up on a farm north of Richmond, where he began inventing useful gadgets. As the Richmond Telegram reported, on June 6, 1894, Jenkins gathered his family, friends and newsmen at his cousin's jewelry store in downtown Richmond and projected a filmed motion picture for the first time in front of an audience. The motion picture was of a vaudeville entertainer performing a butterfly dance, which Jenkins had filmed himself. Jenkins filed for a patent for the Phantoscope projector in November 1894 and it was issued in March 1895. A modified version of the Phantoscope was later sold to Thomas Edison, who named it Edison's Vitascope and began projecting motion pictures in New York City vaudeville theaters, raising the curtain on American cinema. Joseph E. Maddy is credited with founding the country's first…

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Richmond has a total area of , of which (or 99.35%) is land and (or 0.65%) is water. Richmond is located about 12 miles S of Hoosier Hill, the highest point in Indiana. 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. Particularly notable buildings are the 1902 Pennsylvania Railroad Station designed by Daniel H. Burnham of Chicago and the 1893 Wayne County Court House designed by James W. McLaughlin of Cincinnati. Local architects of note include John A. Hasecoster, William S. Kaufman and Stephen O. Yates. The significance of the architecture has been recognized. Five large districts, such as the Depot District, and several individual buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Historic American Buildings Survey and the Historic American Engineering Record.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Richmond High School
  High · Richmond · 1,332 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Test Intermediate School
  Middle · Richmond · 762 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Dennis Middle School
  Middle · Richmond · 597 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Northeastern Elementary School
  Elementary · Fountain City · 590 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Centerville-Abington Elem School
  Elementary · Centerville · 552 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Centerville Sr High School
  High · Centerville · 530 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Northeastern High School
  High · Fountain City · 443 students · 16.4:1 ratio
• Rose Hamilton Elementary School
  Elementary · Centerville · 408 students · 16.3:1 ratio