200th Anniversary of Richmond

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President. I rise today to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of Richmond, ME. As community events throughout this bicentennial year demonstrate, Richmond has a fascinating history that exemplifies the determination and ingenuity that defines the State of Maine.

For thousands of years, the woods and waters where the Kennebec River meets the sea at Merrymeeting Bay sustained the Abenaki people. In 1605, the explorers Samuel de Champlain and George Weymouth led the first European expeditions to the area. In the decades following a land purchase from the Tribes in 1649, the first English settlers established farms, grain and lumber mills, a trading post, and, in 1719, Fort Richmond. Originally part of the town of Bowdoinham, a community named for the fort grew and prospered on land granted to Revolutionary War veteran John Plummer, and Richmond incorporated as a separate town in 1823.

The Kennebec River flows through Richmond's history. With vast lumber supplies and nearby ocean access, the town became a key center for the seafaring trade and shipbuilding in early America. An estimated 200 ships were built in Richmond during the days of sail, about half of them by Thomas Jefferson Southard. Known as ``the father of Richmond village,'' Southard rose from blacksmith apprentice to master shipbuilder and property developer, and his memory lives on in the stunning architecture that distinguishes the town today.

Throughout the 19th century and well into the 20th, Richmond also was a center for the ice trade, sending massive blocks of pure frozen Kennebec water all over the world. Before the invention of powered refrigeration, some 50 huge ice houses, some as big as 10 football fields and up to 7 stories high, operated on the Richmond riverfront. Every winter, up to 4,000 workers would come to town for the 2-month ice harvest season.

An important thread that runs through Richmond's story is the love of liberty. Throughout American history, patriots from the town have stepped forward to defend freedom. During the Cold War, Richmond was home to as many as 500 Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and Belorussian immigrants who sought refuge from Communist oppression in a place where the countryside reminded them of their homeland. The St. Alexander Nevsky Church, with its pale blue onion dome, is the only Russian Orthodox Church in Maine.

From the Fire and Ice Festival in winter, to Richmond Days in summer, townspeople love to get together to celebrate their heritage. The last Saturday in June is observed statewide as R.B. Hall Day in honor of Maine's world-renowned composer of marches and band music, and the day has special significance for Richmond. Born in neighboring Bowdoinham in 1858, Robert Browne Hall lived in Richmond, began his career as soloist and leader of the Richmond Cornet Band, and is buried in the town's Evergreen Cemetery.

Today, visitors and residents alike enjoy Richmond's smalltown charm, beautiful historic buildings, and exciting outdoor recreation opportunities. The energy that so many have devoted to this year's exciting bicentennial celebration is but one example of the spirit that has guided the town from its founding to today. For two centuries, the people of Richmond, ME, have worked together, cared for one another, and built a great community.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source