3607 McBean St.
This small smokehouse is a remnant of the pioneer domestic economy which characterized the village in the nineteenth century. It reflects a time in Richmond’s history when almost every family had its own garden and probably also, chickens, a pig(s) and a cow(s). This particular building has long been a village landmark as local legend connects it to Maria Hill Taylor.
3630 McBean St.
The farmhouse of Constantine Maguire built before 1840 is a prime example of the log farmhouses of the era and area. Like many area farmers, the Maguire’s updated their property, not by abandoning the log house, but by renovating it. This farm, with its crops and livestock as recorded in the 1861 census, provides valuable insight into the social and agricultural history of the time. It also demonstrates the diverse nature of the village with its mills along the river, stores and hotels on northern McBean St. and farms scattered throughout the village limits.
3452 McBean St.
Methodism came to Richmond soon after the founding of the village. “Saddlebag preachers” such as the Rev. Ezra Healey paid regular visits traveling by horse (and on foot when the roads were bad). They preached in homes and probably the Richmond School House until the first Methodist chapel was built in 1846. The present building was the third Methodist church and sits on the third McBean St. location. In 1925, with church union, the name was changed from the Richmond Methodist Church to St. Paul’s United Church.
The congregation of St. Paul’s has long been a vibrant religious and social group in the village. Through the years, various church organizations, concerts, church suppers, picnics, and socials have all helped develop a true sense of community.
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3529 McBean St.
St. Andrew’s was the first Presbyterian congregation in Carleton County. Except for a brief period in the 1820’s itinerant preachers ministered to the congregation until the 1840’s. The first wooden church was constructed on this site in 1847 and replaced by the present brick church and spire in 1884. The Manse was completed shortly afterwards. Although a relatively small congregation, the church had the financial support of several of the village’s most prosperous merchants and became the religious, social and cultural centre for the Presbyterians in the village and surrounding farms.
127 Burke St.
St. Philip’s is the oldest English-speaking parish in the Archdiocese of Ottawa and since 1818, it has been the religious, social and cultural centre for Catholics in the area. The parish has links to several early nineteenth century historical figures: Bishop Alexander Macdonell, Reverend Father Herron, and George T. Burke. The first wooden church was built in 1825 when the village was in its infancy, was burned by arsonists in 1857 during a time of religious upheaval in the county, and replaced by the current stone structure in 1858 at the height of Richmond’s prosperity.
67 Fowler St.
Built in 1823, St. John’s was not only the first church in the village but also in all Carleton County. The original log building was replaced by the present limestone structure in 1860. Throughout the nineteenth century, the congregation had strong ties with the political and economic elites of the community and their fraternal societies, the Masonic & Orange Lodges. A famous parishioner, Maria Hill Taylor, donated the church spire and its renowned ministers the Rev. John Flood and the Rev C. B. Pettit were instrumental in the development of both the Anglican church and education in Carleton County.