About us
We are the caretakers of Richmond, Vermont’s history.
We collect and share stories and artifacts of our town. We manage the National Historic Landmark Old Round Church. We host programs and events throughout the year to build community spirit and promote appreciation of our beautiful historic town.
Preserving
Protecting
Educating
Sharing
The Old Round Church has been a community gathering place for more than 200 years.
Today it welcomes visitors from all over the world during the summer and fall. It hosts concerts, weddings and other events. It is the only 16-sided wooden church building in the United States.
Our programs, pictures, narratives and documents bring Richmond’s history to life.
The Past is Precious
In recent years, the RHS has put a lot of effort into protecting Richmond’s historic places and artifacts using modern technology. We’ve added a fire sprinkler system to the Round Church and worked with the Town of Richmond to install attractive new LED street lighting near the church entrance.
We’ve also worked with the town officials and local historic preservationists to reclaim and restore Richmond’s historic cemeteries. This has included both legal work on deeds and easements as well as monument repair and cleaning. Keeping historic cemeteries accessible and their monuments legible is a labor-intensive ongoing project, but one of great value to those seeking to understand their own roots.
Another recent RHS project has been to secure office and storage space for the RHS in the Town Center building and to undertake a lengthy process of digitizing and cataloging our collection of documents, images, maps and artifacts.
Efforts like these take time, money, and the skills and passion of many people. The RHS believes that this community’s historic sites, stories, images and artifacts are a rich legacy to pass on to future generations. Your Memberships, Donations, Purchases and Volunteer commitments all support our mission to preserve and share this precious history.
RHS Honors and Awards
Congratulations to RHS Board member Gary Bressor, a 2023 recipient of a Vermont Historical Society Lifetime Achievement Award.
Bressor was a founding member of the Richmond Historical Society in 1973 and served as its first president. He assisted in a major Round Church Restoration Project in the 1970s and early 1980s, and since that time has been in charge of the building’s maintenance. Besides routine inspections and upkeep, he has overseen substantial projects such as roof replacement, repainting inside and out, and the installation of a fire safety sprinkler system. The historic Round Church remains beautiful, structurally sound, and open to the public today in large measure due to Gary Bressor.
Gary Bressor rings the Round Church bell during the Bicentennial celebration. August 11, 2013.
Other Notable Achievements
2020 - RHS Archivist Karen Yaggy receives a Vermont Historical Society Individual Achievement Award for her cataloguing of the Society’s collections.
2013 - The Richmond Round Church 1813-2013 (a booklet by Martha Turner and Harriet Riggs) and the Richmond Bicentennial Commission are co-winners of a Vermont Historical Society Exhibitions and Public Programs Award for their contributions to the Town of Richmond’s year-long celebration of the Round Church’s 200th anniversary.
1996 - The Round Church is designated a National Historic Landmark in honor of its historic value to the nation.
1974 - The Round Church is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.