Press release:
On Friday, Nov. 8th at 11 a.m. a dedication of an historic marker for the former Richmond Mansion will be held at the Richmond Memorial Library. The Mansion, built in the 1830s by Col. William Davis and enlarged by Dean and Mary Richmond in the 1850s, stood in the parking lot that now serves St. Joseph’s Church and the Richmond Memorial Library. For many years after the death of the Richmonds, it housed the Children’s Home. The structure was torn down in 1970.
Dean Richmond amassed a fortune in Great Lakes shipping. He was instrumental in the creation of the New York Central Railroad and served as the railroad’s second president. Dean Richmond was also instrumental in bringing the State School for the Blind to Batavia, which is why the street running in the front of the School is named Richmond Avenue. The Richmond Memorial Library was a gift to the community from Mary Richmond in memory of a son who died in early adulthood.
The historic marker is being placed at the foot of the walkway between the parking lot and the Library. It has been funded by a $1,050 grant to the City by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse.
Attending the dedication ceremony will be Harold Richmond III of New Jersey, the great-great-grandson of Dean and Mary Richmond. Also in attendance will be a representative of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. City Historian Larry D. Barnes will lead the dedication.
Later in the day, historic markers funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation will also be dedicated in Stafford and at the former county home in Bethany.
