[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 200 (Tuesday, December 5, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     200TH ANNIVERSARY OF RICHMOND

  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.

                          ____________________