On May 24, 1962, an organizational meeting was held in the St. Francis Elementary School, Richmond, to create a Richmond County Historical Society. The meeting was an outgrowth of a committee appointed by the Richmond County Women's Institute to gather information and compile a history of the county.

A slate of officers was elected with Miss Alice Dresser as President and the Richmond County Historical Society was formed. Work proceeded on the publication of two volumes of the history of the county which appeared in 1966 and 1968.

Incorporated in 1962, the Society's aims are:
  1. To discover and rescue from the unsparing hand of time the records which yet remain of the earliest history of Canada;
  2. To preserve while in our power such documents as may be found amid the dust of yet unexplored depositories, and which may prove important to general history and to the particular history of this province, County of Richmond and adjacent areas.

In June, 1998, the archives were moved from the Museum to the Melbourne Township Town Hall (formerly the Upper Melbourne Town Hall) at 1257, route 243, Melbourne. The new Archives Center provides a larger space and year- round access to the holdings.

Special events at the museum and archives for the summer of 1999 included a celebration of Scots' heritage in the Richmond area. A special exhibit as a tribute to the Richmond County Women's Institute was assembled at the museum to mark its 75th anniversary.

New England Heritage in Richmond County and Vicinity was the theme for the year 2000. RCHS commemorated the legacy of the first settlers who came to Richmond County and vicinity about two hundred years ago. Special events were planned as well as displays and exhibitions. A bilingual 2001 calendar was published which celebrated the heritage of the New England pioneers. This calendar depicted local landmarks and a unique New England architectural influence which is captured in photographs and engravings. Calendars and other publications may be ordered from Richmond County Historical Society from our Publications Page.

In 2001, the Post World War Two Immigrants who had settled in the Richmond area were honoured at a tea which featured forty posters of family histories of the Dutch, Swiss, German, French, Italian and Eastern European immigrants who remain in the area. The theme for 2003 was the English presence in the Richmond area. See English Theme for details. In 2004, plans are being made to celebrate French Protestant and Huguenot heritage in the Richmond area.

In 2002, the heritage of the Irish people of Richmond County and vicinity was remembered with the highlighting of artifacts at the Museum of Irish origin. A display of Irish names gleaned from the 1851 census was displayed at the Museum. A cavalcade took place in which the country cemeteries in the Danville area were visited in search of Protestant Irish. Ian Smith acted as tour guide.

In 2004, French Protestant and Huguenot heritage in the Richmond area was commemorated. At the spring AGM, guest speaker Diane Perron recounted the Perron family's Huguenot ancestry in France and the Province of Quebec. Mr. René Paquin, guest speaker at the Harvest Luncheon spoke about Huguenot history in Europe and the New World. For more information about this topic, see the Links page.

In 2004-2005, the Museum underwent extensive renovations with the building of a new basement, new septic system, new roof and new verandahs. The executive of RCHS is grateful to Melbourne Township Mayor and Councilors, Hydro Quebec, the executors of the Marion Reed Kerr estate and the many members and friends of the Society for financial contributions, building materials and labour.

Several anniversaries were commemorated in 2005. 150th anniversaries were celebrated by the Townships of Melbourne, Cleveland and Ulverton.

In 2006, the summer season at the Museum/Archives involved a review of the early Protestant schools in Richmond County and vicinity. A list of the names of the early schools was compiled, a photo exhibition of schools in Richmond and Drummond Counties was mounted at the museum and the AGM was held at the Valleyview Hall (Healy School House). Roderick McLeod, McGill University (A Meeting of the People. School Boards and Protestant Communities in Quebec, 1801-1998) was the guest speaker at the AGM. In the autumn of 2006, RCHS joined with Richmond County Agricultural Society to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

In 2007, the town of Richmond commemorated its 125th anniversary of incorporation as a town. A special 16 month calendar (2007-2008) was printed to mark Richmond’s rail history and to show exceptional views of vintage Main Street. Please link Richmond to the relevant documents about Richmond, the rail documents and the 2007-08 calendar.

In 2008, the theme for the summer season was Early Industry and Commerce in Richmond County. Artifacts pertaining to early industry were highlighted at the Museum. A photo display was prepared and exhibited at the Richmond Hobby Show in the fall as well as during the Museum season.

In 2009, the Celtic heritage of the Scots, Irish and Welsh settlers in Richmond County and vicinity was commemorated in 2009. At the Museum, photo displays, artifacts from families of Celtic origins were exhibited, and a tour of a slate quarry in the Asbestos area (Slatington) took place late in the summer. In the afternoon, the society enjoyed a visit the Mineralogy Museum in Asbestos hosted by John Millen.
The society’s website (1998) was updated complete with a new look and a new address: richmondcountyhistoricalsociety.com.

2010 RCHS 150th Anniversary Danville Photo Exhibit
The McCallum Collection of Danville and adjacent area photos (early to mid-1900’s) was presented to Richmond County Historical Society in 1967 by Mr. H. McCallum of Sherbrooke. Parts of this collection were exhibited at the Museum in the summer of 2010 and taken to Townshippers’ Day in Danville later in September. 2010.

2010, F. S. Coburn celebrated in Melbourne
2010 was the fiftieth anniversary of the death of the celebrated Canadian artist, Frederick Simpson Coburn. The MRC of Val St. Francois and Melbourne Township went to great lengths to honour his legacy with the naming of the `new` bridge at the north end of the Melbourne, creating a park at the south end of the village complete with a tableau representative of his work and helping to fund Richmond County Historical Society`s drama Café and Coburn. The drama written and produced by Nick Fonda, President of the Society, was a serious depiction of the artist`s life and work in Melbourne, New York, Europe with original music written and performed by Francine Beaubien. A power point presentation of Coburn`s life and paintings was interwoven into the production. The Upper Melbourne Town Hall was filled to capacity for each the three nights` performances.

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