Richmond Town is a historic area of Staten Island in New York City. The first settlement of Europeans in what is now Richmond Town dates from the 1690’s. Richmond Town became the county seat of Richmond County in 1729. The county became one of the five boroughs of New York City in 1898, and the city took over the administration of the Richmond County government.
In 1939, the Staten Island Historical Society began a project called the Richmond Town Restoration. Today, both the project and the historical society are popularly known as Historic Richmond Town. The project included moving, rebuilding, and restoring dozens of buildings constructed during the 1600’s, 1700’s, or 1800’s. One building, the Voorlezer’s House, was built about 1695 and is probably the oldest elementary school building in the United States. New York City and private individuals and organizations are financing the project.
